Design for Part of a Ceiling or Cornice
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Dimensions
4 1/4 x 16 3/8 in. (10.8 x 41.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952
Accession Number
52.570.147
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 17th-century French, titled *Design for Part of a or Cornice*, offers a glimpse into the opulent world of Baroque architecture. Created anonymously by a skilled draftsman, it captures the intricate ornamental motifs typical of France's grand châteaux, palaces, and spaces during Louis XIV's reign. Such designs were essential blueprints for artisans, transforming plain ceilings into lavish displays of scrolling foliage, cartouches, and architectural flourishes that symbolized power and piety. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, the work exemplifies a precise y...