Plan of Building
18th century
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-94-582
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This 18th-century print titled "Plan of Building" was created by the French artist Pierre-Philippe Choffard (1730–1809). Prints such as this one played an essential role in sharing architectural ideas, using reproducible techniques to capture precise details of structures for architects, patrons, and scholars across Europe. Choffard worked in a period of evolving design in France, where architectural plans combined practical information with artistic elegance. This work likely functioned as a detailed schematic, illustrating spatial layouts and the era’s focus on proportion and innovation in ...