Design for Ceiling with Plant and Arabesque Decoration 19th century

Charles Monblond rendered this design for a ceiling with plant and arabesque decoration sometime in the 19th century using pen and watercolor. The design is all about surface – how a ceiling might be visually enriched through layers of pattern. Monblond has used the traditional medium of watercolor to evoke an interior space. Think of the intensive labor needed to translate this two-dimensional design onto a three-dimensional surface: plasterwork, painting, and gilding. The handwork involved would have required teams of skilled artisans, a clear hierarchy of labor, and significant investment on the part of the patron. Consider the way the watercolor medium, though delicate, stands in for robust materials. We often separate "design" from "making," but here, the qualities of light, color, and ornament that Monblond captured would depend on the craftsmanship that brought the design to life. It is a reminder that even the most rarefied artistic visions are realized through collective effort.