Les Domes 

Jean-Baptiste Rigaud made this print, Les Domes, depicting a formal garden, sometime between the late 17th and early 19th century. The artist offers us a glimpse into the leisure and aesthetic values of the French aristocracy. Rigaud's print captures the intersection of power, class, and designed space. The domes and fountains speak to the period's obsession with order, control, and the artificial manipulation of nature, reflecting the elite's desire to mold the world according to their ideals. The garden is populated with figures dressed in finery, underscoring the visual spectacle of wealth and status. Such idealized representation of aristocratic life masks the social inequalities inherent to the French class system. Instead of offering a revolutionary vision, Rigaud's work reinforces traditional hierarchies by celebrating the opulence and artificiality of courtly life. In its own way, this print serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between art, power, and social identity.