Design for Ceiling with Plant and Arabesque Decoration
19th century
Medium
Watercolor and gilt
Dimensions
12 x 10 1/2in. (30.5 x 26.7cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1969
Accession Number
69.660.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Design for Ceiling with Plant and Arabesque Decoration** by Charles Monblond invites visitors into the whimsical world of 19th interior design. This exquisite preparatory drawing, rendered in watercolor and gilt, sketches an ornate ceiling alive with flowing plant motifs and arabesques—those elegant, scrolling patterns inspired by nature and classical ornamentation. Measuring just 12 x 10½ inches (30.5 x 26.7 cm), its intimate scale belies the grandeur it evokes, perfect for envisioning lavish spaces in homes or public buildings of the era. Crafted in watercolor for its luminous transparenc...
About the Artist
Charles Monblond · 1800–1900
**Charles Monblond**, a French painter and designer born in Paris, flourished during the mid- to late nineteenth century, capturing the ornate spirit of Second Empire decorative arts through his meticulous drawings and paintings. Residing at 9 Rue Marignan, he studied under M. Ch. Polisch, honing skills that blended floral still lifes with architectural ornamentation. In 1866, Monblond sought perm...