Design for a Chair
Medium
furniture
Classification
furniture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-138-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Jean Démosthèneourc's *Design for a Chair*1790) offers a window into the elegant yet turbulent world of late 18th-century French design. Created the early French Revolution, this furniture drawing reflects Dugourc's role as a versatile artist who bridged the opulent Louis XVI era and the revolutionary push for neoclassical simplicity. Born in 1749, Dugourc designed for both aristocracy and emerging republican ideals, blending antique motifs with practical innovation in his furniture sketches. As a preparatory design in ink or pencil (typical for such works), it exemplifies the period's emphas...