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Nouveaux Desseins de Balcons

Pierre Edme Babel, French, 1720–1775

1890–1910

Nouveaux Desseins de Balcons by Pierre Edme Babel, French, 1720–1775

Classification

Print

Department

Smithsonian Collection

Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Credit

Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council

Accession Number

1921-6-452-2

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

**Nouveaux Desse de Balcons** (*New Designs for Balconies*), created by the French artist and engraver Pierre Edme Babel (172–1775), showcases elegant 18th-century architectural ornamentation. As a print from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, it likely features intricate patterns for wrought-iron balconies, a hallmark of French Rococo style. Babel, active during the lavish reign of Louis XV, specialized in decorative designs that blended functionality with ornate flourishes—think scrolling foliage, mythical motifs, and graceful curves that adorned Parisian facades. These print...

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