Portrait of Louise Henriette de Bourbon Conti as Flora 1766 - 1805

Francois Voyez the younger made this print of Louise Henriette de Bourbon Conti as Flora in France during the late 18th century. It exemplifies the Rococo era's fascination with classical mythology and the aristocratic ideal of beauty. The print presents Louise Henriette as Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, linking her to notions of fertility, beauty, and renewal, visual codes for wealth and status. The work was produced during a time of social stratification, where art was often commissioned by and for the elite. The artistic academies of France at the time played a central role in shaping artistic taste and upholding the status of the wealthy. By examining archival material, like salon catalogs and other period writings, we can decode this image further and better understand how art both reflected and shaped the values of its time. The meaning of art is never fixed; it is always contingent on its social and institutional context.