Ornamentele omlijsting met twee vrouwen aan weerszijden 1720 - 1740

Bernard Picart created this ornamental border with two women on either side using etching, sometime between 1683 and 1733. The composition centres on symmetry, a blank space in the middle surrounded by elaborate designs. The figures are structured to draw your eye upwards. Two classical female figures stand like columns. They are draped in flowing robes and their gazes are averted. These figures hold up swags of fabric which run along the top of the frame. The linear elegance is interrupted at the bottom by a bearded male face surrounded by swirling foliage, contrasting starkly with the smooth surfaces of the women. The monochrome palette emphasizes the etched lines and forms that invite us to consider how period tastes embraced classical motifs with an eye for detail. This piece functions not just as decoration, but also provides insight into how art from this period used classical forms to convey ideas about beauty, order, and the human form itself.