Design for a Wall with Two Doors and a Sculpture
c. 1785
Medium
pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolor on two sheets of paper
Dimensions
sheet: 19.05 × 35.24 cm (7 1/2 × 13 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of David H. McDonnell
Accession Number
2022.14.9
Art Historical Context
Henri Pietre's *Design for a Wall with Doors and a Sculpture*c. 1785) offers a glimpse into late 18th-century architectural. This delicate drawing, executed on two joined sheets of paper, sketches an elegant wall elevation featuring symmetrical double doors flanked by a central sculpture niche. Created during the waning years of France's Ancien Régime, it the neoclassical taste of the era, drawing inspiration from ancient Roman and Greek motifs amid the Enlightenment's revival of classical harmony. Pietre employs pen and black ink for precise lines, enhanced by gray wash and watercolor to evo...
About the Artist
Henri Pietre
Henri Piètre (also spelled Piètre or Pièttre), a French architect and ornamental draughtsman active in the late eighteenth century, is best known for his intricate designs for the interiors of the Palais-Royal in Paris. Working primarily as the architect to Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans (known as "Louis-Philippe the Fat," 1725–1785), Piètre oversaw numerous renovations and decorative schemes fro...