Design for a ceiling with garland bearing putti
second half 19th century
Medium
Graphite, gouache, and watercolor
Dimensions
Overall: 14 13/16 x 10 11/16 in. (37.7 x 27.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.827.500
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Design for a Ceiling with Garland Bearing Putti* by French artists Jules-Edmond- Lachaise and Eug-Pierre Gourdet dates to the second half of the 19th century, a period when opulent interior decoration flourished in Europe, particularly under the lavish Second Empire style in France. Crafted graphite, gouache, watercolor on paper (measuring 14 13/16 x 10 11/16 inches), this preparatory drawing showcases swirling garlands—classic motifs symbolizing abundance and festivity—carried aloft by frolicsome putti, those cherubic figures rooted in Renaissance and Baroque traditions. The m...
About the Artist
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise|Eugène-Pierre Gourdet · 1897–1897
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, born Jules Lachaise on September 2, 1836, in Paris, emerged as a prominent French painter and draughtsman specializing in lavish interior decorations during the Second Empire and beyond. Little is known about his early life and formal training, though he married Berthe Gourdet in 1866, forging a close professional partnership with her brother, the decorator Eugène-Pi...