Design for a Decorative Panel with Two Sirens Holding a Vase Embellished with Dolphins and other Decorative Motifs
Medium
red chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 47.31 × 18.73 cm (18 5/8 × 7 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of David H. McDonnell
Accession Number
2022.14.3
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century French decorative arts, Gilles Paul Cauvet's *Design for a Decorative with Two Sirens Holding Vase Embellished Dolphins and other Decorativeifs* (1777) captures the transition from Rococo exuberance to Neoclassical refinement. Created as a preparatory drawing, it features mythical sirens gracefully supporting an ornate vase adorned with playful dolphins and intricate motifs—elements evoking the sea's allure and classical mythology, popular in furnishings and architectural panels of the Louis XVI era. Rendered in red chalk (sanguine) on laid paper, this 47....
About the Artist
Gilles Paul Cauvet
Comment on works: Architect; Sculptor; Ornamental draughtsman