Two alternative designs for the painted decoration of a ceiling
Medium
Graphite and watercolor on tracing paper; mounted on wove paper
Dimensions
Overall: 8 7/8 x 11 15/16 in. (22.6 x 30.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.827.269
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 19th-century French interior design, *Two Alternative Designs for the Painted Decoration of a Ceiling* by Jules-Edmond- Lachaise and Eug-Pierre Gourdet offers a glimpse into the meticulous planning behind grand architectural embellishments. Created between 1830 and 1897, these preparatory sketches capture the artists' collaborative vision for ceiling adornments, likely intended for a lavish public or private space during France's era of neoclassical revival and Second Empire grandeur. Such designs were essential for architects and decorators envisioning frescoes or mura...
About the Artist
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise|Eugène-Pierre Gourdet · 1897–1897
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, born Jules Lachaise on September 2, 1836, in Paris, emerged as a prominent French painter and draughtsman specializing in lavish interior decorations during the Second Empire and beyond. Little is known about his early life and formal training, though he married Berthe Gourdet in 1866, forging a close professional partnership with her brother, the decorator Eugène-Pi...