Ornamental Vase Design
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-268-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Georges Charmeton, a French artist active during seventeenth century, created designs that embodied the period’s taste for elaborate ornamentation. His "Ornamental Vase Design," now preserved as a print in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, captures the flowing curves and decorative motifs typical of Baroque-era decorative arts. Although the precise medium is not recorded, the work’s classification as a print points to the important role such reproductions played in spreading artistic ideas across Europe. The dates associated with the piece, 1677–1703, place it slightly after the artist’s l...