Putti Galore: ‘Eventails de Bosse’ and the Judgment of Paris

Abstract The availability of luxury goods is often thought to be a twentieth-century phenomenon, but the ‘consumer revolution’ taking place in Europe in the seventeenth century accelerated the pace of production, availability and consumption of goods of all kinds, particularly luxury goods. Paintings, printed books and engravings, silk, gloves and lace, watches, porcelain and fans all became coveted objects available to a widening demographic. By considering the process of engraving and an engraved fan leaf by the renowned early modern engraver Abraham Bosse that represents the Judgment of Paris, this paper considers questions of gender, aesthetic judgment, engraving and the copy.