Design for the backplate of a sconce
Drawing
about 1710 (Drawn)
about 1710 (Drawn)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Design for the backplate of a sconce, of a cartouche-shaped design containing a vase form at top, surmounted by a small shell and a hanging tassel at bottom. Other decorative elements include interlaced acanthus, strapwork and festoons. Left half of the drawing produced by counterproof; outlines scored by a metal point. On the back a sketch of acanthus in pen and brown ink.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Design for the backplate of a sconce (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Red chalk on paper with a watermark of a snake coiled round a stake |
Brief description | Design for the backplate of a sconce, about 1710. Anonymous, German |
Physical description | Design for the backplate of a sconce, of a cartouche-shaped design containing a vase form at top, surmounted by a small shell and a hanging tassel at bottom. Other decorative elements include interlaced acanthus, strapwork and festoons. Left half of the drawing produced by counterproof; outlines scored by a metal point. On the back a sketch of acanthus in pen and brown ink. |
Dimensions |
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Historical context | This is one of a series of metalwork drawings [E.948-1969-1991], all sharing the same provenance and may all come from the same workshop, and seem to date to about 1710. One further drawing from this group of 23 is in a private collection in Paris. The majority of the drawings are rendered in red chalk, with the left half usually obtained by counterproof. Other drawings are in pen and brown ink. The annotations in German indicate the weight of the object after it was made, which betrays a craft knowledge and suggests that the drawings come from the workshop of a silversmith. The decorative elements are typical of the early 18th century, deriving from the work of Jean Bérain and German silversmiths |
Subjects depicted | |
Bibliographic reference | Peter Fuhring, Design into Art Drawings for Architecture and Ornament, The Lodewijk Houthakker Collection, 1989, vol. I, pp. 395-399, cat. 635 |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.1964-1991 |
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Record created | March 4, 2009 |
Record URL |
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