Portrait of a Lady with an Elaborate Cartouche
1785
Giuseppe Cades crafted this elegant neoclassical illustration in 1785, centering on a delicate, reddish cameo-style portrait of a lady in profile. She is encased in a lavish golden frame, flanked by two youthful figures—one sporting wings—who team up to hoist a majestic crown high above her head. The scene is bursting with symbolic flair, from the torch held by the figure on the right to the lush garlands of fruit and flowers anchoring the bottom. Such elaborate designs were popular in the late 18th century, often serving as celebratory prints or decorative frontispieces honoring nobility and virtue.