Ornament
ca. 1880
Medium
Graphite on tracing paper
Dimensions
sheet: 4 3/8 x 5 5/16 in. (11.1 x 13.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.632.155(8)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite drawing on tracing paper, created around 1880 by the design firm Richardson Ellson & Co., captures the intricate beauty of Victorian-era ornamentation. Measuring just over four by five inches, the work exemplifies the period’s fascination with decorative motifs drawn from classical and Renaissance sources. The use of tracing paper highlights its practical purpose: such sheets allowed designers to repeat and adapt patterns efficiently for architectural details, furniture, or printed materials. The composition features stylized faces integrated into swirling ornamental fo...