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

Art Historical Context

This captivating page from abook, created by the renowned French architects Charles Percier and Pierre Françoisard Fontaine around 1800–1850, offers a glimpse into the opulent design world of Napoleonic France. Filled with meticulous drawings and prints of architecture, interiors, elegant furniture, and decorative objects, it showcases the duo's mastery of Neoclassicism and the Empire style Percier and Fontaine, close collaborators and imperial designers under Napoleon Bonaparte, revolutionized interiors by blending ancient Roman grandeur with modern functionality, influencing palaces, furniture makers, and even fashion across Europe. Rendered in pen and black and gray ink, graphite, and black chalk on a modest 15 11/16 x 10 in. sheet, the page exemplifies the architects' precise draftsmanship. These mixed-media techniques allowed for detailed shading, fluid lines, and subtle tonal variations, ideal for capturing intricate motifs like gilded consoles and columnar motifs. As part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this album leaf highlights the era's scrapbook culture, where designers collected ideas like visual treasure troves. Such works underscore the cultural shift toward imperial splendor post-Revolution, making everyday luxury aspirational. Visitors will appreciate how these sketches bridged art and architecture, shaping tastes that echoed for decades.

About the Artist

Charles Percier|Pierre François Léonard Fontaine · 1764–1838

Charles Percier (1764–1838) rose from humble origins in Paris, where his mother laundered for Marie-Antoinette and his father served as a porter at the Tuileries Palace, to become one of France's most influential neoclassical architects and designers. From age twelve, he attended a free drawing school for indigent students, honing his skills in the studio of painter Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée be...