Pedestal Designs
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-365-6
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Gilles-Marie Oppenord (2–1742), a leading French architect and ornamental designer of the early 18th century, created *Pedestal Designs* in 173–38. Trained in Rome and later serving as designer to the Regent Philippe d'Orléans, Oppenord was a pivotal figure in the Rococo style, blending Italian Baroque exuberance with lighter, more playful French elegance. This print, now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (purchased by the Advisory Council), exemplifies innovative approach to decorative architecture during the late Régence period, just as Rococo flourished in Parisian salons ...