Upright Baskets of Flowers 1680 - 1690

Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer created this print, Upright Baskets of Flowers, in France, sometime in the late 17th century. Monnoyer was known as "Baptiste the Flower Painter." He specialized in still lifes of floral arrangements, a genre that was gaining popularity amidst the rigid social hierarchies of the French court. These images weren't just decorative; they reflected the wealth and taste of the patrons who commissioned them. Luxury goods such as flowers became potent symbols of status. The print reproduces a painting. Its existence as a print is an interesting example of the institutional forces that shaped the art world. Prints allowed for wider dissemination of images, effectively democratizing access to art, although the market for these would still have been restricted to the well-off. To truly understand Monnoyer's work, we need to examine the social and economic conditions of his time. Auction catalogs, inventories, and other archival documents can provide valuable insights into the world of 17th-century French art. They help us understand how art served as a marker of identity and a reflection of social values.