Moorish Wall Elevation

Anonymous, British, 19th century

19th century · Pen and ink, brush and wash, watercolor · Drawings and Prints

This richly ornamented elevation was probably drawn in Britain during the second half of the nineteenth century. A pair of central doors is pierced by cusped, arched windows supported by short columns. Below and to either side, panels of finely detailed ornament composed of meandering vines and leaves fill the wall. The patterns derive from the carved wood or stone panels used to decorate interiors throughout Moorish North Africa. In Britain, the designs are likely to have been painted onto a plastered wall with the help of stencils. The artist labeled the panel variations with letters and showed the patterns in black and white on one side and with added detailing in ocher on the other. Since the design includes what appear to be towel bars set beneath the windows, it may have been intended for part of a bath pavilion.

Artist

Anonymous, British, 19th century

Date

19th century

Medium

Pen and ink, brush and wash, watercolor

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952