Design for Seven Vertical Panels of Arabesque Decoration, Farnsborough, England

Art Historical Context

This exquisite preparatory drawing, titled *Design for Seven Vertical Panels Arabesque Decoration, Farnborough, England*, was created between 1880 and 1886 by French artists Jules-Edmond- Lachaise and Eugène-Pierre Gourdet. Likely a collaborative effort by skilled draftsmen, it served as a blueprint for ornate wall panels destined for a site in Farnsborough, the era's fascination with lavish interior decoration amid Britain's Victorian architectural revival. Executed in pen and black ink for intricate line work, brush and gray wash subtle tonal modeling, and graphite for initial sketches, the 11 3/16 x 16 15/16-inch sheet showcases meticulous arabesque patterns—flowing, interlaced motifs inspired by Renaissance and Oriental traditions. Prominent tags of horses and coats of arms suggest heraldic elements woven into the design, evoking nobility, power, and equestrian grace amid foliage and scrolls. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1967), this work highlights the cross-cultural exchange in 19th-century decorative arts, where precise technical drawings bridged design and craftsmanship for grand English estates. A testament to the artists' virtuosity, it invites us to imagine these panels animating a historic interior with timeless elegance.

About the Artist

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise|Eugène-Pierre Gourdet · 1897–1897

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, born Jules Lachaise on September 2, 1836, in Paris, emerged as a prominent French painter and draughtsman specializing in lavish interior decorations during the Second Empire and beyond. Little is known about his early life and formal training, though he married Berthe Gourdet in 1866, forging a close professional partnership with her brother, the decorator Eugène-Pi...