Paneel met meerminnen en fronton 1772 - 1779

Jean Pelletier made this print of mermaids and a pediment sometime in the 18th century. The image presents us with a paradox: it is a drawing of architectural ornamentation, but the drawing itself is also a commodity circulating in the art market. France, at this time, was the center of interior design, and this print suggests the rising importance of 'le goût', or taste. The symmetry, curves and classical motifs speak to the fashion for the Neoclassical style, an aesthetic favored by the academies of art. We can see this in the mermaid's Greco-Roman hairstyles and their sensuous yet modest poses. The pediment below is also telling. With its emphasis on clean lines it anticipates the revolutionary style that would overthrow the more ornate baroque style that it replaced. By looking at prints like these we can start to understand the material culture of eighteenth-century France, using sources such as trade guild records and design books to understand the artistic tastes of the era.