Design for a Box-Lid
18th century
Medium
Pen and black ink over black chalk underdrawing
Dimensions
1 5/16 x 2 13/16 in. (3.4 x 7.1 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1944
Accession Number
44.54.46
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot (1699–1773), a leading French Rococo artist andaver, created this delicate *Design for a Box-L* in the 18th century. Known his elegant illustrations in books and decorative designs, Gravelot bridged French and English artistic circles, influencing the ornate, playful aesthetic of the Rococo period This preparatory drawing, likely intended for a luxury snuffbox or case lid, captures the era's fascination with intimate, whimsical vignettes—here featuring figures of men and women in poses, evoking the refined world of aristocratic leisure. Executed in pen and black ink o...
About the Artist
Hubert François Gravelot
Hubert-François Bourguignon, known as Gravelot (1699–1773), was a leading French Rococo engraver, illustrator, and designer whose elegant draftsmanship bridged the artistic worlds of France and England. Born in Paris to a tailor, he adopted his pseudonym from a godfather and grew up alongside his elder brother, the geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. After neglecting studies at the Col...