Furniture 1565 - 1570

This engraving was made by Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau in the 16th century and shows a design for a grand piece of furniture. The design shows a cabinet, richly ornamented with classical motifs – female figures, foliage, and heraldic shields. The process of engraving itself is crucial here. The artist would have used a burin to carefully cut lines into a metal plate, which was then inked and printed. This allowed for the widespread dissemination of designs like this, acting as a sort of catalogue. Consider the skill involved in translating a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional image, and the expertise required to then realize that design in wood. There's a whole economy embedded here: from the forests providing the raw material, to the workshops where skilled artisans would have carved and assembled the piece. This print blurs the line between art and craft, design and production. It reminds us that even the most functional objects can be elevated through skillful making and artistic vision, which are critical to understanding the object's full meaning.