Cartouche decoré

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

**Cartouche Décoré** by Pierre Edme Babel (French, 1720–1775) is an exquisite 18th-century print created between 1743 and 1763. As a master engraver working in the lavish Rococo style, Babel specialized in ornamental designs that captured the playful elegance of Louis XV's France. This piece, now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (purchased by the Advisory Council), exemplifies the era's fascination with decorative frames known as cartouches—scroll-like enclosures often used to highlight titles, maps, or architectural elements. Cartouches like this one were more than mere de...