Study for a Border Design
1890/1897
Medium
gouache, gold paint, and graphite on blue wove paper
Dimensions
sheet (irregular): 34.9 × 12.7 cm (13 3/4 × 5 in.) mount: 46.3 × 30.1 cm (18 1/4 × 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Borghi
Accession Number
1995.24.74
Art Historical Context
Charles Sprague Pearce's *Study for a Border Design* (1890/1897) is a delicate preparatory drawing that showcases the artist's meticulous approach to ornamental decoration. Created during Pearce's mature career as an American expatriate artist in France, this work reflects the fin-de-siècle fascination with intricate patterns and luxurious embellishments. Rendered in gouache, gold paint and graphite on blue w paper, the irregular sheet measures 34.9 × 12.7 cm, highlighting its intimate scale as a sketch for larger applications, perhaps in murals, book illustrations, or interior design. The us...
About the Artist
Charles Sprague Pearce · 1851–1914
Charles Sprague Pearce, born on October 13, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in a cultured family immersed in art and exotic imports; his father, Shadrach H. Pearce, ran a business dealing in Chinese porcelain, sparking the young artist's fascination with Eastern motifs. After attending the Brimmer School and Boston Latin School, Pearce worked briefly in the family firm before departing for...