Hekken met bloemmotieven en een vaas 1772 - 1779

This is Jean Pelletier’s design for ‘Fences with floral motifs and a vase’ created sometime in the 18th century. Pelletier was part of a generation of designers who catered to the aristocracy of pre-revolutionary France. These fences were not just boundaries; they were statements of wealth and taste. The elaborate floral motifs and the inclusion of a vase—symbols of cultivated beauty—speak to the values of a class that defined itself through leisure and refinement. In a society rigidly structured by birth, these decorative elements reinforced the visual language of social hierarchy. While Pelletier's designs catered to the elite, they also hinted at broader shifts in European society. The rising interest in naturalism, seen in the floral patterns, mirrored the Enlightenment's emphasis on observation and reason. Emotionally, these fences represent a longing for an ordered and controlled version of nature, reflecting the complex desires of a society on the cusp of transformation.