Design for a Goblet with the Three Graces 1600 - 1700

This is an anonymous design for a goblet with the Three Graces, made with pen and brown ink with gray wash on paper. The subject matter suggests that this design may have been produced in a courtly setting. The Three Graces were figures from classical mythology who were thought to bestow beauty, charm, and grace on humanity. In early modern Europe, they became associated with elite patronage, humanist scholarship and the culture of the court. Designs such as this would have appealed to wealthy patrons, who often displayed their learning through the visual references in the objects they commissioned. Art historians often use patronage records, letters, and inventories to better understand the social and political context in which artworks like this were made. By learning more about the tastes and values of the patrons who commissioned artworks, we can gain insight into the role that art played in shaping early modern European culture.