Mural design picturing riders in a landscape for a lunette in the library of the Chateau de Lude (Sarthe)

Art Historical Context

This enchanting mural design, created by French artists Jules-EdmondCharles Lachaise andène-Pierre Gourdet in second half of the th century, captures riders galloping through a picturesque landscape. Intended for a lunette—a curved wall space—in the library of the Château Lude in Sarthe, France, it exemplifies the opulent decorative arts of the era. Château de Lude, a castle in the Loire Valley region, was a grand residence where such murals adorned intimate yet stately interiors, blending artistry with aristocratic leisure. Painted in oil on canvas, this modest 10⅜ × 14⅞-inch preparatory sketch (or *modello*) allowed the artists to refine composition, color, and movement before executing the full-scale mural. The dynamic depiction of horses and riders evokes the Romantic fascination with nature and equestrian pursuits, common in 19th-century French landscapes. Though housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Dodge Fund in 1967), its painterly technique bridges drawing and painting traditions. For visitors, this work offers a glimpse into the collaborative design process behind grand chateau decorations, highlighting how everyday sketches fueled monumental art.

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...