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This object is the first item in a set that contains 56 objects.

Object Timeline

1962

  • We acquired this object.

2007

2008

2025

  • You found it!

Bound Volume, Frontispiece for Book 4, in Eight books of Ornament

This is a Bound Volume. It was created by William Delacour and engraved by François Vivares. It is dated 1741–47 and we acquired it in 1962. Its medium is engravings on white laid paper, bound in half-calf and marbled boards. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

This dedication page belongs to one of the earliest pattern books in the Rococo style to be printed in Britain. Ornament prints were crucial to British manufacturers competing with the French luxury goods industry. Between 1720 and 1740, mercantilist protection of British markets prompted an increase in the production of English ornament prints. Design books could instruct craftsmen on the latest fashions, in lieu of a formal design education, as well as publicize a designer’s abilities.

It is credited Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council.

Its dimensions are

41 x 23 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/16 in.)

Cite this object as

Bound Volume, Frontispiece for Book 4, in Eight books of Ornament; William Delacour (French, 1741 – 1767); Engraved by François Vivares (French, 1709 – 1782); France; engravings on white laid paper, bound in half-calf and marbled boards; 41 x 23 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/16 in.); Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council; 1962-126-1

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Rococo: The Continuing Curve 1730-2008.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18441063/ |title=Bound Volume, Frontispiece for Book 4, in Eight books of Ornament |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=11 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>