Tafel met bloemmotief 1772 - 1779

This is Pierre Gabriel Berthault's "Table with Floral Motif," a design on paper dating back to the late 18th century. It represents a commode, likely intended for an aristocratic residence. Berthault was an engraver, not a furniture maker himself. His skill with the burin is clear in the precision of the lines, the evenness of tone. And that's important to understand here. Engravings like this played a crucial role in disseminating design ideas across Europe. The image testifies to a moment of transition. On the one hand, luxury goods were still produced by highly skilled specialists, working to commission. On the other, printed images allowed for wider circulation of design, and thus a degree of standardization. The designer could be separated from the maker, who might be anywhere. Berthault's image, therefore, sits at the intersection of craft production and nascent industrialization. It shows the pre-revolutionary world, just before everything changed.