Design for the decoration of an oval ceiling with putti and garlands; with a detail of a lunette

Art Historical Context

This delicate preparatory drawing, created by French artists Jules-EdmondCharles Lachaise andène-Pierre Gourdet around the mid- to late 19th century envisions an ornate oval ceiling decoration alive with playful putti—those cherubic child figures beloved in Western art—and flowing garlands. A detailed lunette study adds focus to an arched panel, likely incorporating a coat of arms, suggesting a commission for a grand interior, such as a salon or palace hall. Such designs reflect the era's revival of Baroque and Rococo opulence amid France's Second Empire and Belle Époque grandeur. Rendered in graphite, watercolor, and shimmering gold paint on translucent tracing paper—then mounted on wove paper for preservation—the work showcases ingenious 19th-century techniques. Tracing paper allowed architects and decorators to overlay, refine, and transfer motifs precisely, while the gold leaf-like accents evoke the luxurious finishes of the final fresco or stucco. At 19⅝ × 13¼ inches, its intimate scale belies its ambitious scope. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1967), this piece illuminates the collaborative craft of ornamental design, bridging fine art and architecture. It invites us to imagine opulent ceilings overhead, where mythology meets heraldry in a celebration of human joy and noble lineage.

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...