Two Chandelier Designs
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-278-44
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18th-century French decorative arts with *Two Chandelier Designs* Richard de Lalonde, a artist active from 1780 to 1796. Created between 1775 and 1788, this captures the grandeur of pre-Revolutionary France, when elaborate lighting fixtures like chandeliers illuminated the salons of the aristocracy. Lalonde's work reflects the era's shift toward neoclassical elegance, symmetry and refined ornamentation in designs meant to dazzle. As a print, this artwork served a practical purpose beyond mere aesthetics: it acted as a blueprint for artisans, disseminating sophis...