Architectural Drawing of the Exterior of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke's House

Art Historical Context

This delicate pen drawing by Hector-Martin Lefuel captures elegant exterior of the Comte de Nieuwerkerke's Parisian house around 1870, a time when France's Second Empire style flourished under Napoleon III. Lefuel, a leading architect known for his work on the's expansion, exemplifies the era's grandeur with precise lines that highlight neoclassical facades, ornate details, and harmonious proportions. The Comte, an influential art patron and superintendent of imperial museums, embodied the cultural elite whose residences blended opulence with refined taste. Rendered in pen on paper—a medium favored for its exactitude in architectural drafting—this 16⅛ × 9⅜-inch work showcases Lefuel's masterful ink techniques, from fine hatching for texture to bold outlines defining structural elements. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department as part of William H. Riggs's 1913 gift, it offers a rare glimpse into 19th-century Parisian domestic architecture, bridging art, history, and urban design for visitors today.