Design for a Valance with Bundles and Garlands of Flowers and a Monogram Presenting Two Design Variants
1870–1900 (?)
Medium
Watercolor
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 9/16 × 9 3/4 in. (26.8 × 24.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.50.191
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor design, created by an anonymous French artist around 1870–1900, showcases two variants for a valance—a decorative textile border often used above beds or windows in elegant interiors. Featuring lush bundles and garlands of flowers intertwined with a prominent monogram, it exemplifies the ornate floral motifs beloved in 19th-century French decorative arts The careful presentation of dual options highlights the practical mindset of designers, allowing clients or manufacturers to select or adapt for bespoke furnishings. Rendered in watercolor on a modest sheet (10 9/16 ×...
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...