Handel 1772 - 1779

Etienne Claude Voysard created this print, Handel, sometime in the late 18th century. The strange title notwithstanding, this elaborate design provides a window into the values of pre-revolutionary France. The print shows two arrangements of objects, each an elaborate, symmetrical accumulation of trophies, musical instruments, and military accoutrements. At the base is an open book inscribed with the words "Intelligence de Commerce," or "Knowledge of Commerce." Commerce and knowledge are here being glorified. The open book is framed by broken masonry, suggesting the way that commercial and political enlightenment will rise out of the ruins of the old order. Prints like these played a key role in the visual culture of the era. Art historians can learn more about how they worked in French society by consulting period books, journals, and printed ephemera. By looking at this kind of visual evidence, we can understand how art helps to shape the world.