Drie ornamenten met acanthusranken en maskers c. 1670 - 1690

These three ornaments with acanthus scrolls and masks were created by Paul Androuet Ducerceau, a French designer and printmaker, sometime between his birth in 1623 and his death in 1710. Note the ways the acanthus leaves intertwine with the faces of satyrs and women. During this period, the classical tradition was being revived and reinterpreted through a decidedly gendered lens. The faces in the ornaments alternate between masculine and feminine visages. Consider the prominent mask-like forms which lend a performative aspect to the ornaments, as if they are staging a drama of identity. There is a tension between the rigid expectations of gender roles and the potential for transformation and play. What do these ornaments tell us about the ways identity was both constructed and masked in early modern Europe, and how might they speak to contemporary issues of gender and performance today?