Tafel met masker 1772 - 1779

Jean Guillaume Blanchon made this drawing of a table with a mask, the ‘Tafel met masker’, using pen and gray ink. He was active as an artist in eighteenth-century France. What can an image of a table tell us about the French social order? Well, the drawing itself served as a design template for furniture makers catering to wealthy patrons. The style, with its classical motifs and emphasis on symmetry, reflects the values of the French court and aristocracy. The mask detail points to the period’s interest in theatre and performance. Consider the location of the print’s production, Paris, a city renowned for its craftsmanship and artistic innovation. The print suggests a society deeply invested in luxury and display, where even everyday objects were elevated to works of art. Delving into period sources such as trade catalogues, guild records, and aristocratic inventories can reveal how such designs influenced the material culture of the era. The interpretation of art is never finished!