Ornament Design
19th century
Medium
Pen and ink and watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 18 7/16 x 5 1/2 in. (46.8 x 13.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.692.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century French decorative arts with this delicate *Ornament Design*, an anonymous drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's esteemed Elisha Whittelsey Collection. Created on laid paper—a handmade sheet with distinctive parallel laid lines that were prized for their texture and absorbency—this work exemplifies the meticulous planning behind the era's lavish interiors, furniture, and textiles. Measuring 18 7/16 x 5 1/2 inches, its narrow format suggests it was likely a preparatory sketch for repeating motifs in architecture or wallpaper. In 19th-century F...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 19th century · 1800–1900
**Anonymous, French, 19th Century (ca. 1800–1900)** The artist cataloged as Anonymous, French, 19th century embodies the enigmatic yet essential contributions of unidentified creators to France's vibrant 19th-century art world. Active roughly between 1800 and 1900, this figure—or potentially collective workshop—produced a diverse array of works amid the nation's transition from Neoclassicism thro...