Metalwork Design, from Rue des Fosses St. Victor
ca. 1880
Medium
Graphite on tracing paper
Dimensions
sheet: 2 3/8 x 2 9/16 in. (6.1 x 6.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.632.153(1)
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite drawing on tracing paper, titled *Metalwork Design, from des Fosses St.*, comes from the British design firm Richardson Ellson & Co around 1880. Measuring just 2 3/8 x 2 9/16 inches, it the intricate details of ornamental metalwork likely inspired by Parisian architecture on the Rue des Fosses St. Victor in's historic Latin Quarter. At a time when the Victorian era's fascination with historicism and revival styles dominated design, such sketches served as vital blueprints for craftsmen, blending functionality with elaborate decoration. The use of graphite on translucent...