Design for Cartouche 18th century

This design for a cartouche was made by Fortunato Tesi, probably sometime in the 1700s, using pen and brown ink with gray wash over graphite on paper. It's interesting to consider the labor implied in this seemingly simple drawing. Before industrialization, even paper was a precious commodity, made by hand from pulped rags. The ink, too, would have been carefully mixed. And of course, the artist's skill is evident in the sureness of the lines, which describe a complex, swirling form. The cartouche itself—that framed oval—was intended as a vehicle for heraldry, or perhaps a portrait of a wealthy patron. The drawing, therefore, is not just an artwork in itself, but a proposal for further labor: the carving of stone or wood, the application of pigment, the gilding of surfaces. It’s a reminder that all art, no matter how seemingly ethereal, is rooted in material and making.