Designs for Three Chairs
early 19th century
Medium
Pen and ink, brush and wash, watercolor
Dimensions
sheet: 8 9/16 x 12 5/16 in. (21.8 x 31.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.37.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
Imagine stepping into the drawing room of early 19th-century Britain where elegance and functionality shaped everyday life. This delicate sheet, *Designs for Three Chairs captures the creative process behind Regency-era furniture. Created anonymously by a British artist around 1810–1820, it features precise sketches of three chair variations, likely intended for domestic interiors or workshops. Such designs reflect the period's neoclassical revival, blending graceful curves, turned legs, and ornate detailing inspired by ancient Greek and Roman motifs—a hallmark of designers like Thomas Sherato...