Design for the Decoration of a Lunette on the Staircase, Hôtel de Pless, Berlin

Art Historical Context

This exquisite preparatory drawing, titled *Design for the Decoration of Lunette on the Stair, Hôtel de Pless Berlin*, was created by French artists Jules-EdmondCharles Lachaise andène-Pierre Gourdet in second half of the th century. It captures the opulent spirit of grand European interiors during an era of lavish architectural embellishment, when hotels and private residences like the Hôtel de Pless in Berlin intricate decorations to impress elite visitors. The lunette—a curved wall space above a door or window—would have been a focal point on the staircase, highlighting the artists' skill in designing harmonious, site-specific ornamentation. Rendered in gouache and oil on paper (7 13/16 x 14 3/8 in.), the mixed-media technique allowed for the vibrant opacity of gouache paired with oil's luminous depth, ideal for visualizing complex motifs like flowing garlands. These floral swags, a tag associated with the work, evoke classical antiquity and rococo revival styles popular in 19th-century decorative arts, symbolizing abundance and elegance. As a drawing from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1967), it offers a rare glimpse into the collaborative process behind monumental interior schemes. Visitors will appreciate how such designs bridged architecture and fine art, transforming everyday spaces into theatrical displays of cultural sophistication.

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...