Designs for Wall Ensemble with Scroll and Grotesque Motifs 1700 - 1780

This anonymous drawing from the 18th century is a design for a wall ensemble featuring a variety of scrolls, grotesques, and other decorative elements. The drawing, executed in gray wash and ink, displays the artist’s skill in the Rococo style, a popular decorative art movement of the era, that celebrated asymmetry, elaborate ornamentation, and lighthearted motifs. The design, which includes a central frame and a series of smaller decorative elements, would have been used to embellish a variety of interior spaces, such as palaces, churches, or private homes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where the drawing is located, houses a diverse collection of European decorative art. This work, typical of the Rococo, is an example of the intricate and elegant designs that characterized the period.