# 6 from " Livre second essais de gravjre " second book of Engraved Designs

1703

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

# 6 from " Livre second essais de gravjre " second book of Engraved Designs is a 1703 by Pierre Bourdon, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Pierre Bourdon
When & what style?: 1703 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a page of engraved designs full of scrolls, flowers, and swirling lines. These patterns were meant for craftsmen like goldsmiths or clockmakers. They bought prints like this to copy into metal or wood. Bourdon’s designs were sold to both workers and fancy buyers. Wealthy people liked them as decoration guides or just for fun. The prints show how art moved from workshops to parlors. Check out another print by Pierre Bourdon at The Cleveland Museum of Art.

The story of this work

Overview

The title page for this set of prints suggests that Bourdon’s designs are “useful for clockmakers, goldsmiths, chiselers, engravers and other people.” These craftsmen who made ornamented objects, such as the boxes and pistol below, sometimes consulted printed designs for inspiration. However, pattern prints similar to Bourdon’s also catered to aristocrats and wealthy professionals who pursued knowledge about styles and artists as a form of entertainment.

Read the full account in the museum source.