Interior Elevation of Reims Cathedral with the Rood Screen and Throne for the Coronation of King Louis XVIII

Art Historical Context

Step into the grandeur of Reims Cathedral through this exquisite 1815 drawing by Percier and Pierre Françoisard Fontaine, two leading Neoclassical architects who shaped Napoleonic and Restoration-era interiors. Titled *Interior Elevation of Reims Cathedral with the Rood Screen Throne for the Coronation of King Louis XVIII*, it captures the soaring nave, intricate rood screen, and a designed throne prepared for the Bourbon monarch's ceremonial restoration. Reims, the historic coronation site of French kings since Clovis in 496, symbolized continuity amid the turbulent shift from Empire to monarchy after Napoleon's defeat. Rendered in pen and black ink with vibrant colored washes, the work showcases the artists' mastery of precise architectural drafting. The washes lend a luminous, almost three-dimensional quality to the Gothic vaults and ornate details, blending technical accuracy with artistic flair typical of 19th-century ornament drawings. At 29½ x 22 inches, it's a large-scale presentation piece, likely intended for royal or architectural approval. This Metropolitan Museum of Art treasure, gifted by Lincoln Kirstein in 1956, highlights the interplay of sacred space and political theater, evoking the pomp of Louis XVIII's era while preserving Fontaine and Percier's legacy in opulent design. A window into France's resilient royal traditions!

About the Artist

Charles Percier|Pierre François Léonard Fontaine · 1764–1838

Charles Percier (1764–1838) rose from humble origins in Paris, where his mother laundered for Marie-Antoinette and his father served as a porter at the Tuileries Palace, to become one of France's most influential neoclassical architects and designers. From age twelve, he attended a free drawing school for indigent students, honing his skills in the studio of painter Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée be...