Design for an Empire Covered Dish
ca. 1810–15
Medium
Pen and black ink
Dimensions
sheet: 10 3/16 x 15 7/8 in. (25.9 x 40.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1977
Accession Number
1977.658
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate pen and black ink drawing, titled *Design for an Empire Covered Dish*, dates to around 1810–15 and hails from an anonymous French artist during the Napoleonic Empire era. Created as a preparatory sketch for a luxurious covered dish—likely intended for silver, porcelain, or gilt bronze—it exemplifies the opulent Neoclassical style of the time. The Empire period, inspired by ancient Rome and Greece, celebrated imperial grandeur through bold motifs like heroic faces and powerful bulls, as hinted by the artwork's tags. These symbolized strength and antiquity, aligning with Napoleon's...
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...