Design for a Chair Back Cover with an Ornamental Frame Formed by a Garland of Leaves and Flowers with an Interlacing Ribbon that Forms a Bow from which a Crown Motif with Monogram Hangs
1870–1900 (?)
Medium
Watercolor
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 3/16 × 6 1/4 in. (15.7 × 15.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.50.185(b)
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor design, created by an anonymous French artist around 1870–1900, showcases the ornate aesthetic of late 19th-century decorative. Titled *Design for a Chair Back Cover with an Ornamental Formed by a Garland Leaves and Flowers with anlacing Ribbon that Forms Bow from which a Crown Motif with Mon H Hangs*, it depicts a frame of lush foliage, blooming flowers, and ribbonwork supporting a crowned monogram "H." Such intricate patterns were typical for upholstering high-style furniture, reflecting France's enduring passion for opulent interiors during the Belle Époque. Render...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 19th century · 1800–1900
**Anonymous, French, 19th Century (ca. 1800–1900)** The artist cataloged as Anonymous, French, 19th century embodies the enigmatic yet essential contributions of unidentified creators to France's vibrant 19th-century art world. Active roughly between 1800 and 1900, this figure—or potentially collective workshop—produced a diverse array of works amid the nation's transition from Neoclassicism thro...