Grotesque Exedra Design
Medium
Bound print
Classification
Bound print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-216-90
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Gilles-Marie Oppenord (1672–1742), a prominent French architect and ornamental designer of the Régence period, created intricate patterns that bridged Baroque grandeur and the lighter Rococo style. *Grotesque Exedra*, a bound print from a publication dated 1749–1761—after the artist's death—showcases his mastery of fantastical motifs. Oppenord's work often drew from ancient Roman "grottesche" decorations discovered in Nero's Domus Aurea, revived during the Renaissance and adapted into whimsical, asymmetrical vignettes of flora, fauna, and mythical figures. An exedra, typically a semicircular ...