Design for an elaborate arch
19th century
Medium
Pen and ink and wash on yellow paper
Dimensions
sheet: 8 11/16 x 12 1/8 in. (22.1 x 30.8 cm) mount: 12 3/8 x 13 3/8 in. (31.5 x 34 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1935
Accession Number
35.73.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 19th-century French, titled *Design for an Elaborate Arch*, captures grandeur of architectural ornamentation from an anonymous artist's hand. Rendered in pen and ink with wash on yellow-tinted paper, the work measures just 8 11/16 x 12 1/8 inches, suggesting it was a preparatory study rather than a final blueprint. The yellow paper, a popular choice in the period, provides a warm glow that evokes aged stone or gilded surfaces, enhancing the arch's ornate details—scrolling motifs, floral accents, and rhythmic curves that hint at neoclassical or eclectic revival styles prevalent in...
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...