Book of New Trophies

Art Historical Context

**Book of New Trophies** (1720–74) is a captivating ensemble of engravings by a collaborative team of French masters: architects and designers Jacques François Blondel Gilles-Marie Oppenord, Chez Huquier, and engr Jacques Dumont, known as *le Romain*. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this volume (11 7/8 x 9 7/16 x 1/8 in.) exemplifies the Rococo era's exuberant ornamental style, blending intricate motifs with playful elegance. The book showcases *cartouches*—elaborate, scroll-like frames often crowned with whimsical heads—and trophy-like designs, serving as a pattern book for artisans, architects, and decorators. Produced during France's Regency period under Louis XV, it reflects the era's fascination with *trophées*, symbolic assemblages of weapons, armor, and allegorical elements celebrating victory and abundance. Engraving, the chosen medium, allowed precise reproduction and widespread dissemination of these motifs, influencing furniture, wallpaper, and architecture across Europe. As a prime example of 18th-century design manuals, *Book of New Trophies* highlights how printed books democratized high-style ornamentation, bridging courtly luxury with emerging bourgeois tastes. Visitors will appreciate its lively details, a testament to the collaborative spirit that fueled the decorative arts' golden age. (198 words)