Overdoor Designs
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-278-62
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Overdoor Designs** Richard de Lalonde, a artist active from 178 to 1796, dates to 1775–1788 and exemplifies late 18th-century printmaking. Produced as a print, this work likely features detailed patterns meant for *panneaux de sopra*—ornamental panels placed above doors in interiors. Such designs were essential in French architecture, enhancing rooms with graceful motifs while showcasing the printer's precision in translating drawings into reproducible formats. During the final decades of the Ancien Régime, prints like these democratized high-style decoration, allowing architects, craftsmen...