Designs for three windowed storeys
Medium
Graphite, pen and ink, and watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall: 14 15/16 x 10 7/16 in. (37.9 x 26.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.827.264
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling architectural scene of 19th-century France,Designs for Three Windowed Storeys* by Jules-Edmond-Charlesachaise and Eugène Gourdet captures the era's fascination with elegant urban facades. Created between 1830 and 1897, this drawing likely served as a preparatory study for multi-story commercial or residential buildings, showcasing meticulous designs for windows that would have defined light-filled interiors and street-level grandeur. The artists, active during a time of rapid Parisian transformation under figures like Baron Haussmann, contributed to the neoclassical and emerging eclectic styles that blended functionality with ornamentation. Rendered on laid paper—a traditional support valued for its texture and absorbency—the work masterfully combines graphite for fine shading, pen and ink for precise lines, and watercolor for subtle color washes. This mixed-media technique allowed for dynamic rendering of architectural details, from arched window frames to structural rhythms across three levels. Measuring 14 15/16 x 10 7/16 inches, its intimate scale belies the ambition of the designs, highlighting windows as focal points for ventilation, views, and aesthetic harmony. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Dodge Fund in 1967, this drawing offers a window—pun intended—into the collaborative spirit of French architectural drafting. It reminds us how such sketches bridged imagination and construction, shaping the livable beauty of Europe's great cities.
About the Artist
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise|Eugène-Pierre Gourdet · 1897–1897
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, born Jules Lachaise on September 2, 1836, in Paris, emerged as a prominent French painter and draughtsman specializing in lavish interior decorations during the Second Empire and beyond. Little is known about his early life and formal training, though he married Berthe Gourdet in 1866, forging a close professional partnership with her brother, the decorator Eugène-Pi...