Design for a Chair Seat Cover with a Classical-Inspired Vase with Two Handles, Two Exotic Birds and Two Half-Human Grotesque Figures Inside an Ornamental Frame with Two Cornucopias Holding Bundles of Leaves and Fruits and Decorated Scrolls of Leaves and Flowers
1870–1900 (?)
Medium
Watercolor and Gouache
Dimensions
Sheet: 18 7/16 × 10 9/16 in. (46.8 × 26.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.50.197(b)
Art Historical Context
This intricate design for a chair seat cover, by an anonymous French artist around 1870–1900, bursts with opulent ornamentation typical of late 19th decorative arts. At its heart is a classical-inspired vase with two handles, enclosing exotic birds and whimsical half-human grotesque figures. These are framed by scrolling leaves, flowers, and cornucopias overflowing with fruits and foliage, evoking abundance and fantasy. Rendered in vibrant watercolor and gouache on generous sheet (18 7/16 × 10 9/16 in.), the piece exemplifies the precision needed for textile production, now preserved in the Me...
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...