Wall Elevation with Bookshelves
mid- 18th century
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-237-4
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Étienne Charpentier's *Wall Elevation with Bookshelves a mid-18th print, offers a glimpse into the refined world of French interior architecture during the Enlightenment era. in 1707, Charpentier was a skilled French engraver whose works captured the elegance of neoclassical and rococo design. This detailed elevation—a technical drawing showing the frontal view of a wall adorned with bookshelves—highlights the period's fascination with libraries as symbols of intellectual prestige and cultured living. As a print, the artwork exemplifies the era's innovative reproductive techniques, likely eng...