Design for the decoration of aceiling with painted clouds and a pierced border

Art Historical Context

This delicate 19th-century design captures the ethereal beauty of a painted ceiling, featuring soft clouds drifting across an open sky framed by an ornate pierced border. Created Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise and Eugène-Pierre Gourdet between 1830 and 1897, the drawing reflects the collaborative nature of decorative arts during this period, when architects and artists often worked together to envision grand interior schemes for public buildings or private residences. Executed in graphite, pen and ink, wash, and watercolor on wove paper, the work demonstrates the versatility of these media in conveying both precise architectural details and atmospheric effects. The layered washes evoke the luminous quality of clouds, while the careful linework defines the intricate border pattern. As a preparatory study rather than a finished mural, it offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind ceiling decorations that once adorned elegant spaces. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, this piece highlights the enduring appeal of celestial motifs in European design traditions. Its acquisition through the Dodge Fund in 1967 underscores the museum’s commitment to preserving such intimate records of artistic planning.

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...