Design for a Vase
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-471-25
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Ennemond Alexandre Petitot's *Design for a Vase (1764) is a delicate print that captures the elegance of mid-18th-century French decorative. Born in 1727, Petitot a prolific French architect, engraver, and designer whose works bridged the ornate Rococo style of Louis XV's reign with emerging Neoclassical restraint. Created during a golden age for luxury goods in Paris, this piece likely served as a prototype for porcelain, silver, or glass vases destined for aristocratic homes or royal courts. As a print medium, the artwork exemplifies how engraving democratized high design, allowing artisans...