Rozet met vlechtwerk en guirlandes 1784 - 1785

Augustin Foin created this print of a rosette with braided ornamentation and garlands some time in the mid-18th century. Foin was one of many artists in France at this time who made prints of ornament for use by artisans and manufacturers. Consider the world of artisanal production and the system of guilds in France at this time. Guilds were associations of craftsmen that controlled the production and sale of goods in a particular trade. The guilds set standards for quality and skill, and they also regulated the number of practitioners in each trade. Prints like this one would have played a key role in teaching craftsmen the latest styles. If we want to understand the circulation of ornament, we have to consider how prints were disseminated through a network of workshops. The historian can consult guild records, merchants’ inventories, and pattern books to better understand the economic and social context in which these images were made and used.