Albumblad met twee prenten met een cartouche en de triomf van Bacchus 16th century

This is an album page with two prints, made by an anonymous artist. The top print shows a cartouche, an ornamental frame, full of classical motifs and figures. Below it, the triumph of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, theatre and ecstasy, is presented as a parade. Such prints circulated widely in sixteenth-century Europe, serving as models for sculptors and other artists. Images like these were important social currency. For wealthy families, a knowledge of classical mythology was a key attribute that set them apart from the working classes. Artists and workshops also depended on such imagery to signal their knowledge of established visual culture and the classical world. The social function of prints like this one can be explored in books and auction catalogues from the period, which show how prints were collected, shared, and used. The historian’s task is to show how the meanings of artworks always depend on such contexts of creation and use.