Moldings and Plan for Column on Door of Library Bookcase, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II
Medium
Black ink
Dimensions
sheet: 8 3/4 x 13 1/16 in. (22.2 x 33.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.40.2(10)
Art Historical Context
Thomas Chippendale, the renowned 18th-century furniture maker and designer, created this precise black ink drawing in 1753 as part of his preparatory sketches for *Chippendale Drawings,. II*. Titled *Moldings and Plan for Column Door of Library Bookcase it details the ornate moldings and structural plan for a column adorning a library bookcase. At just 8 3/4 x 13 1/16 inches, this compact sheet exemplifies Chippendale's mastery of Rococo and Georgian styles, blending elegant curves with neoclassical symmetry—hallmarks of his influential designs for the British elite. Drawn on the cusp of publ...
About the Artist
Thomas Chippendale · 1718–1779
Thomas Chippendale, baptized on June 5, 1718, in Otley, Yorkshire, was born into a family steeped in woodworking traditions, the only child of joiner John Chippendale and Mary Drake. His father likely provided his initial hands-on training in cabinetmaking, supplemented by time in the workshop of York joiner Richard Wood, before Chippendale relocated to London around 1749. He married Catherine Red...