Design for a Fountain
19th century
Medium
Graphite, pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white
Dimensions
sheet: 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (19 x 19 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1970
Accession Number
1970.736.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate "Design for a Fountain," created by an anonymous French artist in the 19th century, captures the grandeur of architectural fantasy through intricate draftsmanship. Rendered on a square sheet measuring 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, the drawing likely depicts an ornate fountain featuring elegant female figures, heraldic coats of arms, and majestic lions—common motifs in French decorative arts symbolizing nobility, strength, and classical mythology. Such designs were essential for envisioning public monuments or garden features during France's Romantic era, when elaborate fountains adorned ...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 19th century · 1800–1900
**Anonymous, French, 19th Century (ca. 1800–1900)** The artist cataloged as Anonymous, French, 19th century embodies the enigmatic yet essential contributions of unidentified creators to France's vibrant 19th-century art world. Active roughly between 1800 and 1900, this figure—or potentially collective workshop—produced a diverse array of works amid the nation's transition from Neoclassicism thro...