Schenkkan 1747 - 1807

This pen and wash drawing, called Schenkkan, was made by Johannes van Dregt in the Netherlands sometime in the late 18th century. It depicts a design for an elaborate vessel, something like a punch bowl, adorned with classical motifs like scrolling foliage and putti. Such a design reflects the neo-classical tastes that dominated European decorative arts during this period. But this wasn't merely about aesthetics. The neo-classical style carried heavy cultural baggage, associating objects and their owners with the virtues and ideals of the Roman Republic. In a society dominated by powerful merchant elites, aspiring to be like the patricians of old was a way of asserting status and legitimacy. The art market helped disseminate these tastes and ideas through pattern books and design drawings like this one, influencing not only the wealthy but also a growing middle class eager to participate in elite culture. As art historians, we can trace the social history of taste through sources such as inventories, trade records, and publications, revealing the complex ways in which art and society are intertwined.