Designs for Tapestry Chair Seats, Plate 2 from "Cahier de Cartouches et Ornemens de l'Oeuvre de Ranson"
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-94-60
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th-century French decorative arts with *Designs for Tapestry Chair Seats, Plate 2* from Pierre-Gabriel Berthault's *Cahier de Cartouches et Ornemens de l'Oeuvre de Ranson* (1778). This exquisite print, created by the skilled French engraver Berthault (1737–1831), showcases intricate patterns intended for luxurious tapestry-upholstered chair seats. As part of a portfolio dedicated to ornamental motifs and cartouches—those fanciful scroll-like frames— it captures the refined aesthetic of late Rococo France, where opulent furnishings defined aristocratic interiors...