Interior Design for Large Display Cabinet against Red and Green Panelling
late 19th century (?)
Medium
Gouache
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1/8 x 112 in. (25.7 x 284.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anne and Carl Stern Fund, 1971
Accession Number
1971.605.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking gouache drawing offers a rare glimpse into the meticulous planning behind Victorian-era interiors. Created by an anonymous British designer in the late nineteenth century, the work presents a detailed proposal for a grand display cabinet set against bold red and green panelling. Such designs were essential for wealthy homes and institutions, where elaborate cabinetry served both practical storage and the display of prized collections, reflecting the period’s fascination with ornament and material richness. Executed in opaque gouache on an unusually long sheet measuring over nine...