Designs for a Picture Frame
ca. 1730–40
Medium
Pen and brown ink over traces of black chalk
Dimensions
15 x 11 9/16 in. (38.1 x 29.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1971
Accession Number
1971.513.83
Tags
Art Historical Context
Gilles-Marie Oppenord’s “Designs for a Picture Frame,” created around 1730–40, offers a fascinating glimpse into the elaborate world of eighteenth-century French decorative arts. Working in pen and brown ink over faint black chalk, Oppenord carefully planned an ornate frame adorned with eagles—powerful symbols of authority and victory. These lively sketches reveal the artist’s fluid hand as he explored dynamic compositions suited to grand portraits or architectural settings. As a leading ornamental designer during the reign of Louis XV, Oppenord helped shape the emerging Rococo style, moving ...
About the Artist
Gilles-Marie Oppenord · 1672–1742
Born 27 July 1672; died 13 March 1742. French architect, designer, illustrator, Paris. Comment on works: Architect; Draughtsman; Engraver