Vier ontwerpen voor een fontein: Cupido met zwaan 1705 - 1769

Daniël Marot II created these fountain design studies in pen and grey ink, likely sometime in the first half of the 18th century. Marot, from a family of French Huguenots, worked in the Netherlands and England, designing interiors for royal patrons. This sheet offers four variations of a fountain featuring Cupid riding a swan. Swans were associated with royalty and nobility, so these designs would certainly appeal to wealthy patrons of the era. The fountains, as envisioned by Marot, were not simply decorative; they were statements of power. Water, controlled and displayed, symbolized wealth and dominion over nature. Marot’s designs reflect the Baroque style, with its emphasis on dynamism and grandeur, which was a visual language of authority, favored by monarchs and aristocrats. The fountains would have transformed public and private spaces into theatrical displays of affluence. To understand Marot's work better, one can research period architectural treatises, estate inventories, and patronage records. These can reveal the social and economic context in which he operated, enriching our understanding of these designs. Ultimately, the power of art lies in its ability to reflect and shape the values of its time.