Design for a Trophy
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-494-12
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Antoine Watteau’s “Design for a Trophy” captures the refined elegance of early eighteenth-century French decorative art. Although Watteau himself passed away in 1721, this print—dated around 1735—preserves one of his inventive designs for an ornamental trophy, a form often created to celebrate military or courtly achievements. As a leading figure of the Rococo movement, Watteau infused even functional objects with lightness, theatricality, and graceful line, transforming a trophy into an airy composition of flowing ribbons, delicate foliage, and poised figures. Printed works like this played ...