Wall Elevation for a Salon

Jean Démosthène Dugourc

ca. 1780 · Pen and ink with blue, gray and yellow wash · Drawings and Prints

In this drawing and the inscription below, Jean Démosthène Dugourc reveals something of the working practice of a designer. He presents us with a wall elevation, characterized by its large mirror, and dresses it with furniture to which he refers rather simply as ‘table no. 4’ and ‘two no. 5 columns’. These instructions were meant for the people in his atelier, to let them know what type of pieces to execute and bring together in the planned interior. Notwithstanding the elegance of this design, this seems to indicate that it was probably made for the lower end of Dugourc’s clientele. This assumption has to be considered however, in relation to the elite group of patrons that he worked for during his successful career. Given the fact that he was in the service of several European monarchs, including the French kings Louis XVI and XVIII, Catherine the Great of Russia and Charles IV of Spain, it is safe to conclude that this Salon would have adorned the house of a prominent member of the aristocracy.

Artist

Jean Démosthène Dugourc

Date

ca. 1780

Medium

Pen and ink with blue, gray and yellow wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of William Rieder, 2009