Arabesque Design
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-373-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Arabesque Design** by Normand (French, 1765–1840) is a captivating print from 1787–95, now housed in the Smithsonian American Museum's collection. Purchased by the Museum's Advisory Council, this reflects the late 18th-century fascination with ornamental motifs amid France's cultural and revolutionary shifts. Normand, active during the transition from Rococo elegance to Neoclassicism, specialized in intricate designs that adorned architecture and decorative arts. As a print, the medium was revolutionary for its time, enabling precise replication and dissemination of complex patterns like ar...