Ornamental Vase Design

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

This elegant print, titled Ornamental Vase Design, was created by French artist Charles Leviez (1708–1778) between 1756 and 1773. Leviez specialized in ornamental designs that captured the refined decorative tastes of 18th-century France, a period when luxury objects played a central role in aristocratic interiors and courtly life. As a print, this work functioned as both an artwork and a practical template. Designers like Leviez produced such sheets so that potters, metalworkers, and other craftsmen could study and adapt the motifs into three-dimensional vases of porcelain, gilt bronze, or other precious materials. The emphasis on an ornamental vase underscores how even functional objects were expected to display elaborate, flowing ornament that conveyed status and sophistication. Acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum through the Advisory Council, the print offers a window into the transatlantic collecting of European decorative-arts designs. It reminds visitors how printed images helped spread artistic ideas across workshops and continents, preserving a snapshot of pre-Revolutionary French elegance for later generations to study and enjoy.