Festoen met een zeshoekig stuk fruit in het midden before 1677

This is a design for a festoon, made by Francoys Dancx sometime before his death in 1703. It’s an etching, meaning that the artist would have painstakingly drawn the design on a wax-coated metal plate, then bathed it in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The resulting image has a crisp, precise character, which here serves the purpose of illustrating an elaborate swag of fruit and flowers. Note that the artist has given careful attention to the textures of each element: the waxy skins of the apples, the complex structures of the pinecones, the velvety petals of the roses. Prints like this weren’t meant as artworks in themselves, but as models for other makers to follow, in executing carvings, plasterwork, and other forms of ornament. This was a period when design was understood as a process of dissemination and skilled interpretation, rather than individual genius. So, this seemingly modest print offers a fascinating glimpse into the division of labor in the early modern period.