Cartouches Nouvellement Inventez par J.B. Toro 1716

Jean Bernard Toro created this print, Cartouches Nouvellement Inventez, in France, a country that, at the time, defined the standard of luxury. This print presents a design for an ornamental frame, a cartouche. It is teeming with allegorical figures, and ornamental motifs drawn from classical antiquity and from nature. The print was not created as a work of art for display, but as a pattern for other artists to copy when creating interior decoration for wealthy patrons. The concentration of wealth and power in the French court meant that Paris became the center for defining style, and for training artists and craftsmen. The print demonstrates how the artistic academy sought to regulate taste, and encourage the revival of classical forms. The study of prints allows us to understand the dissemination of style across Europe, and the social and institutional context of artistic production.