La Noblesse Française à l’église (The French Nobility at Church)

Bosse portrayed the Gothic churches of Paris as sites of piety and fashionability. While praying or merely strutting through the centuries-old architecture, the churchgoers in these prints sport the latest styles. For example, in the few years since Callot’s series (adjacent), an ornate and expensive form of lace cutwork – reticella – had become a popular form of decoration for collars and cuffs.

La Noblesse Française à l’église (The French Nobility at Church)

Bosse portrayed the Gothic churches of Paris as sites of piety and fashionability. While praying or merely strutting through the centuries-old architecture, the churchgoers in these prints sport the latest styles. For example, in the few years since Callot’s series (adjacent), an ornate and expensive form of lace cutwork – reticella – had become a popular form of decoration for collars and cuffs.