The Story of How One Basket Maker Supplied the Whole of 17th-Century France
Can a person be dressed in their own profession?
Today, such an idea would be more likely to bring to mind a fashion show, a theatrical costume or an art installation. It is difficult to imagine a baker dressed in loaves of bread, a musician made from musical instruments, or a plumber whose outfit is formed from pipes and metal vessels. Yet at the end of the 17th century, the French engraver Nicolas II de Larmessin created precisely this extraordinary vision. He was an artist who combined imagination with a remarkable eye for detail.
Nicolas II de Larmessin (1632–1694) belonged to one of the best-known families of engravers and publishers working in Paris. For several generations, the Larmessin family produced and distributed engravings, books and prints that found their way into the collections of art lovers, scholars and members of the French aristocracy. Nicolas grew up surrounded by printers and engravers, learning the secrets of copperplate engraving from an early age. He trained under the respected master Jean Mathieu and soon developed his own distinctive style, characterised by exceptionally precise lines and an abundance of detail. After marrying Marie Bertrand, he took over the renowned publishing house “À la Pomme d’Or” on Rue Saint-Jacques, one of the most important centres of the publishing trade in 17th-century Paris. There, he not only created his own engravings but also published works by other printmakers, establishing himself as one of the leading publishers of his time.
For much of his career, Larmessin produced portraits of French kings, popes, senior church officials and historical figures. However, he became most famous for the series “Costumes grotesques et les métiers” (“Grotesque Costumes and Trades”), created around 1690–1700. It was a highly original collection of allegorical engravings in which representatives of different professions were dressed not in fabric, but in the tools and products associated with their work. The tailor wore an outfit made from scissors and cloth, the blacksmith from hammers and horseshoes, the baker from loaves of bread, and the basket maker from baskets, sieves, trays and other woven objects. The series comprises approximately thirty-eight known plates and is still regarded as one of the most remarkable achievements of European Baroque printmaking.
The idea was not accidental. Larmessin drew inspiration from the Mannerist compositions of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who, more than a century earlier, had created portraits made from fruit, flowers and books. The French engraver, however, transferred this concept to the world of craftsmanship. The result was a collection of allegories combining humour, symbolism and exceptional documentary value. Each plate serves as a kind of visual catalogue of the tools, materials and products associated with a particular profession. For this reason, Larmessin’s engravings are valued today not only as works of art, but also as important visual sources for historians of technology, material culture and traditional crafts.
Of particular significance to researchers of basketry is the engraving entitled “Le Vannier” – “The Basket Maker”. At first glance, it may appear to be little more than an impressive allegory, but a closer examination reveals a remarkable wealth of information about the traditional craft. The figure’s costume includes transport baskets, trays, sieves, household containers and many other woven items that were genuinely produced in basket-making workshops at the end of the 17th century. This was not simply the artist’s imagination, but a carefully considered composition based on objects used in everyday life.
The longer one studies Larmessin’s entire series, the more surprising it becomes to discover wickerwork appearing in many of the other plates as well. Woven baskets can be seen among fishermen, fruit sellers, wine growers, fishmongers and representatives of many other trades. It becomes clear that the basket maker did not produce goods solely for his own immediate circle. In practice, he supplied almost the entire economy of his time. Baskets were used for harvesting grapes, transporting fish, storing food, carrying tools, selling goods at markets and performing dozens of everyday tasks. Without them, it would have been difficult to imagine the functioning of a 17th-century town or village. This is why it can be said that one basket maker supplied the whole of 17th-century France.
After the death of Nicolas II de Larmessin, his work was continued by his brother Nicolas III and by later generations of the family. As a result, the “Costumes grotesques” series was reissued and copied many times throughout the 18th century. Today, original impressions can be found in some of the world’s most important museum collections, including the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their value lies not only in the mastery of their execution. They are also exceptional records of an era in which craftsmanship formed the foundation of the economy and skilled manual work was a source of prestige and pride.
The story does not end with these Baroque engravings. Although more than three centuries have passed since Larmessin’s time, willow remains an extraordinarily inspiring material. In the past, it was primarily used to produce practical objects for everyday life. Today, it is increasingly becoming an artistic medium used by designers, craftspeople and contemporary artists.
In our own workshop, we also strive to show that traditional basketry can be far more than the production of baskets. Our original willow costumes are contemporary woven sculptures, made entirely by hand using traditional weaving techniques. Each design requires hundreds of hours of work, an excellent understanding of the material and the ability to shape complex three-dimensional forms. These pieces are not reconstructions of historical clothing, but artistic interpretations of the creative possibilities offered by willow.
In a sense, our work enters into a dialogue with the art of Nicolas de Larmessin. He dressed people in the symbols of their professions; we dress people in the craft itself. Our willow dresses, hats and other garments are not created merely to impress through their form. Their purpose is to demonstrate the mastery of traditional weaving techniques and to prove that willow can become a material for art of the highest order. They are a contemporary tribute to the generations of basket makers who developed this craft over the centuries and created objects essential to everyday life.
There is therefore a surprising continuity between Larmessin’s allegorical engravings and today’s willow creations. Although separated by more than three hundred years, both share the same purpose: to reveal the extraordinary possibilities of willow and to remind us that true craftsmanship is not merely a practical skill, but also a form of art. In this way, the history of basketry does not remain confined to museums and historical prints. It continues to live, evolve and inspire new generations of makers.
Bibliography
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Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). Nicolas II de Larmessin and the "Costumes grotesques" engravings.
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ -
CNAM – Conservatoire numérique des Arts et Métiers. Collection of Nicolas II de Larmessin engravings.
https://cnum.cnam.fr/ -
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Habit de Vigneron (The Vine Dresser).
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/408857 -
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Collection Search – Nicolas II de Larmessin.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=Larmessin -
British Museum. Collection Online – Nicolas II de Larmessin.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection -
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Collection – Nicolas II de Larmessin.
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/search -
The Art Institute of Chicago. Collection Search – Nicolas II de Larmessin.
https://www.artic.edu/collection -
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Arcimboldo, Giuseppe.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giuseppe-Arcimboldo -
Victoria and Albert Museum. Basketry – History and Craft.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/ -
UNESCO – Intangible Cultural Heritage. Traditional craftsmanship.
https://ich.unesco.org/ -
Wicker Academy. Research, reconstructions and contemporary wicker art inspired by historical basketry traditions.
https://wickeracademy.com
Image Sources
- Original engravings: Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica), CNAM – Conservatoire numérique des Arts et Métiers, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, British Museum.
- AI-colored reconstructions: Created by Wicker Academy based on public-domain historical engravings by Nicolas II de Larmessin (17th century).
- Photographs of contemporary wicker outfits: © Wicker Academy. AI visualizations of models were generated from photographs of original handmade wicker artworks created by Wicker Academy.
