Perspectival View and Floorplan of a Public (?) Building
Anonymous, French, 17th century
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This architectural drawing contains a perspectival view of a stately building with a plan of the ground floor above. The perspectival view of the building is executed in pen and ink over a chalk underdrawing and has been enhanced with watercolor and colored chalk. The floorplan is also executed in pen and ink over a chalk underdrawing and the supporting walls have been filled in with black watercolor or wash for emphasis. Above the finished floorplan another plan is visible in very faint chalk only, which may suggest an extension to the building. The inscription on the right side of the sheet also seems to suggest that the building could be expanded upon if so desired. The drawing dates to the third quarter of the seventeenth century and demonstrates the style of building that became popular under the auspices of architects like Francois Mansart, and the academic approach to architectural drawing that was taught at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Given the size of the building and the presence of the recurring Royal coat of arms in the decorations, this would likely have been meant as a Royal residence or a public building. The stables to the right and the figure of Athena in the pediment above the main entrance could indicate a military academy or headquarters. It is unclear whether the drawing relates to a specific building commission, or whether it might have been created as a design exercise.
Drawings and Prints
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.