Brazier 1525 - 1600

This print of a brazier was made in France by René Boyvin in the second half of the 16th century. It shows a design for a metal vessel to hold burning coals, and the design is busy and unsettling. During this time, many European artists were inspired by ancient Roman art, but Boyvin puts a strange spin on this. Instead of noble gods and heroes, his design features grotesque masks, hybrid creatures, and writhing figures. What could have been a straightforward design is made weird and threatening. Boyvin was part of a printmaking boom driven by the demands of artists, collectors, and artisans. Prints like this allowed for the swift circulation of design ideas for luxury objects, and the bizarre imagery here offers an insight into the tastes of the wealthy elite. The social role of the historian is to unpack these meanings, using historical sources, design patterns, and institutional knowledge. In this way we can begin to understand the ways the social world influenced artistic production.