Ornamentele rand, bijzettafel, kruis, schaal en een kandelaar 1817

This is a drawing by Pietro Ruga, featuring ornament designs for a border, side table, cross, bowl, and candlestick. The array of objects suggests the cultural centrality of domestic life and religious practice. Ornamentation—as seen in the floral border and the acanthus leaves adorning the candlestick—was used to signify class and refinement through conspicuous consumption. The cross alludes to the powerful role of the church in dictating the values of the time. The side table, featuring carved figures reminiscent of ancient Greek Caryatids, demonstrates a Neoclassical interest in antiquity. The production of drawings such as this was part of the 18th and 19th centuries' growing institutionalisation of art and design. They were often made for pattern books, which served as a way to educate and standardise taste. These books codified ways of thinking about class and religion in the domestic interior. To understand this image further, we might look at the history of ornament, the influence of the church on domestic life, and the role of pattern books in shaping taste.