Bound print
Classification
Bound print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-543-86
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This 1745 bound print is by Germain Boffrand, a French artist who lived from 1667 to 1754. Active during the late Baroque and Rococo periods in France, Boffrand contributed to the evolving artistic landscape of his time through architecture and design. The piece belongs to the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, purchased by the Advisory Council. As a bound print, it represents a format in which images were gathered into volumes for study and preservation. The medium remains unknown, with research in progress, though such works typically used engraving or etching techniques common in 18th-century Europe. Bound prints played a key role in sharing artistic and architectural ideas, helping contemporaries access innovative designs. This artwork offers visitors insight into historical print production and the cultural value of visual documentation in pre-Revolutionary France.