Design for the painted decoration in the Chinese style for the stairway of the house offered by the Empress to the duc de Mouchy on the occasion of his marriage
second half 19th century
Medium
pen and ink and watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall: 19 5/16 x 13 7/16 in. (49 x 34.1 cm) image: 16 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (42.5 x 24.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dodge Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.827.142
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This exquisite drawing captures a moment of imperial generosity and fashionable exoticism in mid-19th-century France. Created in the second half of the, it is a preparatory design by artists Jules-Edmond-Charles Lise and Eugène-Pierredet—possibly in collaboration with or for the Duc de Mouch—for painted decorations in the Chinese style adorning the stairway of a house gifted by the (likely Eugénie, consort of Napoleon III) to the on the occasion of his marriage. lavish commissions highlight the era's elite penchant for *chinoiserie*, a European interpretation of Chinese motifs that blended fantasy with opulence. Rendered in pen and ink with watercolor on laid paper, the work exemplifies the precision of 19th-century architectural drafting. The fine lines and delicate washes suggest intricate patterns of pagodas, foliage, and figures destined for mural execution, showcasing the artists' skill in translating two-dimensional sketches into immersive interior spaces. Measuring about 19 x 13 inches overall, its compact scale belies the grandeur it planned. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1967), this piece offers a glimpse into Second Empire luxury, where royal patronage fueled artistic whimsy and cross-cultural allure, making grand stairways portals to imagined Eastern worlds.
About the Artist
Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise|Eugène-Pierre Gourdet|Duc de Mouchy · 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...