Pair of panels
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Wood, painted white and gilded
Dimensions
Overall .119a (confirmed, depth approximated): 111 3/4 x 21 1/4 x 2 in. (283.8 x 54 x 5.1 cm) Overall .119b (confirmed, depth approximated): 112 x 20 7/8 x 2 in. (284.5 x 53 x 5.1 cm) Overall (historic dimensions, superceded): 111 7/8 x 21 in. (284.2 x 53.3 cm)
Classification
Woodwork
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
Accession Number
07.225.119a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18th-century French with this exquisite *Pair of Panels* (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 06.119a,b), crafted from wood painted white and lavishly gilded. Standing over nine feet tall and just over a foot and a half wide, these panels were likely designed as architectural elements—perhaps for walls, doors, or screens in a grand *hôtel particulier*. Their delicate leaf motifs, evoked by the "Leaves" tag, capture the era's fascination with nature's graceful forms, rendered in shimmering gold against a pristine white ground for a luminous, elegant effect. In the realm ...