Cartouche with Bird and Putti, Plate B
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-94-644
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Created around 1740 by French artist Alexis Peyrotte, *Cartouche with Bird and Putti, Plate B* exemplifies the playful elegance of the Rococo period. Peyrotte, active during the reign of Louis XV, specialized in ornamental designs that blended delicate natural motifs with fanciful figures. This print features a decorative cartouche—a framed, scroll-like form—surrounded by a bird and putti, the cherubic figures often used to evoke lightness and charm in 18th-century decoration. As a print, the work likely served as a model or pattern for artisans working in textiles, ceramics, or architecture....