Portal Design,"la Prusse et la Religion," design for plate 40 in the "Nouvelle iconologie historique..."
Classification
architecture, interiors
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1911-28-57
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Jean-Charles Delafosse, a prominent French engraver and ornamental designer (1734–1789), created this "Portal Design, 'La Prusse et la Religion'" around 1765 as plate 40 for the *Nouvelle Iconologie Historique*. Active during the transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism, Delafosse specialized in intricate architectural and decorative motifs, blending symmetry, classical motifs, and allegorical symbolism. This work, classified as architecture and interiors, likely depicts an ornate doorway or portal emblematic of "Prussia and Religion," reflecting 18th-century European interests in national iden...