Design for a Rocaille Cartouche with the Figure of Putto holding up a Cup, Plate 4 from an untitled series with architectural cartouches and allegorical figures

Art Historical Context

This enchanting etching, *Design for a Rocailleouche with the Figure ofto holding up a Cup is Plate 4 from an unt series of architectural cartouches and allegorical, created around 1750–56 by a collaborative trio of Augsburg printmakers: Jacob Thelot, Martin Engel, and Jeremias Wachuth. Measuring 8 7/16 × 13 3/4 inches, it exemplifies the playful Rococo style—known as *rocaille* for its shell-like, asymmetrical motifs—that swept Europe in the mid-18th century, favoring ornate whimsy over Baroque grandeur. At its heart, a cherubic *putto* (a chubby child figure symbolizing innocence and love) triumphantly holds aloft a cup within an elaborate cartouche, a decorative frame often used for coats of arms, bookplates, or architectural embellishments. Produced as an etching—a precise intaglio technique allowing intricate lines and textures—these prints served as pattern books for artisans, architects, and silversmiths, disseminating fashionable designs across workshops. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Daniel Ergmann, 2014), this work captures the era's delight in fantasy and opulence, bridging fine art and decorative crafts. Visitors will appreciate how such modest prints fueled the lavish interiors of Enlightenment-era Europe.

About the Artist

Jacob Gottlieb Thelot|Martin Engelbrecht|Jeremias Wachsmuth (Central European|German|German) · |1700 |1684 – |1790 |1756

German, Augsburg 1708–1760 Augsburg|German, active Augsburg, ca. 1750|German, Augsburg 1684–1756 Augsburg