Design for Ceiling Decoration
Medium
Graphite, pen and brown and black ink, brush and brown wash on blue paper.
Dimensions
sheet: 9 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (24.2 x 13.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.632.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Design for Ceiling Decoration*, created anonymously by a French artist in 187, offers a glimpse into the ornate architectural fantasies of 19th-century France. Rendered on blue paper—a favored ground for highlighting light effects—the small sheet (9½ x 5½ inches) captures intricate motifs likely intended for a grand interior ceiling, evoking the opulent Second Empire style popular in Parisian salons and public buildings during Napoleon III's reign. The artwork employs a masterful mix of techniques: graphite for precise underdrawing, pen with brown and black ink for sharp lines,...
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...