Vier halve topgevels en vier zwikvullingen of consoles 1565

This print of four gables and consoles by Johannes and Lucas van Doetechum belongs to a larger tradition of Northern Renaissance ornament prints intended to be used by artisans. These prints emerged at a time when the burgeoning merchant class sought ways to express their wealth and status through architecture and interior design. The Doetechums offer a vision of domestic space that mirrors the social hierarchies of their time, intended to signal a very specific kind of status through its embrace of classical motifs and symmetry. Look closely at how the gables employ classical figures, like cherubs, and architectural elements to convey an image of wealth and cultivated taste. These details would have been carefully considered and selected to reflect the owner's self-image and aspirations. How do you think these historical designs and aspirations reflect in our contemporary aesthetic values?