Design for Fireplace Wall and Ceiling
second half 19th century
Medium
Watercolor, gouache and gold
Dimensions
image: 14 7/8 x 11 7/16 in. (37.8 x 29.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge and Fletcher Funds, 1967
Accession Number
67.736.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite anonymous British design from the second half of the 19 century offers a glimpse into Victorian-era interior grandeur. Titled *Design for Fireplace Wall and*, it meticulously renders an ornate architectural scheme featuring elaborate fireplaces integrated with richly decorated ceilings. Created with watercolor, gouache, gold on paper (measuring 14 7/8 x 11 7/16 inches), the work exemplifies the period's fascination with opulent domestic spaces, where fireplaces served as both functional hearths and dramatic focal points. In the Victorian age, such drawings were essential tools ...