Elevation of an interior with a chimneypiece surmounted by a mirror and a second floor balcony

Art Historical Context

Step into the refined world of 19th-century interior design with *Elevation of an Interior with Chimneypiece Sur by a Mirror and a Floor Balcony*, a collaborative drawing by architects Jules-Edmond- Lachaise and Eug-Pierre Gourdet (ca. 1830–97). This elevation—a precise, frontal view of a room's vertical layout—showcases a grand fireplace mantel crowned by an ornate mirror, flanked by elegant architectural details and a soaring second-floor balcony. Such designs evoke the opulent domestic spaces of Paris during the Second Empire and beyond, where symmetry, height, and lavish ornamentation symbolized status and comfort. Crafted on tracing paper—a favored medium for architects to overlay and refine ideas—the work blends meticulous pen and ink lines with graphite shading for depth, heightened by subtle oil touches to mimic luxurious surfaces like polished wood or gilded frames. Mounted on wove paper for preservation, its 20 7/16 x 13 3/8 in. scale balances intimacy with grandeur, ideal for client presentations or workshop studies. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art via the Dodge Fund in 1967, this drawing highlights the technical artistry of architectural draftsmen, bridging engineering precision and aesthetic vision. It offers a window into how fireplaces, mirrors, and balconies transformed homes into theaters of light and reflection, enduring symbols of French neoclassical revival.

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...