Page from a Scrapbook containing Drawings and Several Prints of Architecture, Interiors, Furniture and Other Objects

Art Historical Context

This captivating page from a scrapbook created by the renowned French architects Pierre François Léonard Fontaine and Charles Percier 1800–1850, a glimpse into the design world of Napoleonic France. Fontaine and Percier, collaborators and innovators of the Empire style—a lavish blend of Neoclassicism opulence—filled such albums with meticulous drawings and prints of architecture, interiors, elegant furniture, and decorative objects This sheet, measuring 15 11/16 x 10 inches, exemplifies their collaborative process, blending inspiration from ancient motifs with contemporary grandeur to furnish palaces like the Tuileries for Napoleon. Rendered in pen and black and gray ink, graphite, and black chalk, the page showcases precise line work and subtle shading that capture textures and spatial depth. As part of the Albums category in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it highlights the era's fascination with ornament and architecture, where scrapbooks served as personal treasuries of ideas for imperial commissions. Acquired through The Elisha Whittelsey Collection in 1963, this artifact reveals the behind-the-scenes creativity of two masters whose influence shaped Europe's decorative arts, bridging antiquity and modernity in an age of revolution and restoration. A true window into 19th-century design ingenuity!

About the Artist

Pierre François Léonard Fontaine|Charles Percier · 1762–1853

Pierre François Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853) was a pivotal figure in French neoclassical architecture, renowned for his masterful interiors, urban planning, and decorative designs that defined the Empire style. Born in Pontoise to architect and fountain designer Pierre Fontaine, he assisted his father on hydraulic projects at the Château de L'Isle-Adam in 1778–1779 before moving to Paris in 1779. ...