Design for Domed Ceiling for Mme Païva's Chateau at Neudeck 1877 - 1884

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise made this design for a domed ceiling with watercolor and graphite. The traditional techniques are here put to the service of something very specific: the decoration of a home intended to impress. The Chateau was built for Mme Païva, a Russian courtesan who ascended the social ranks of 19th-century Paris. Every surface of her home was ornamented, providing employment for legions of artists and artisans. This design shows how the labor of many is subsumed into a single patron’s ambition. Look closely, and you can see how the intricate plasterwork, with its floral and figural motifs, would have been gilded, reflecting light and proclaiming Païva’s wealth. The design is opulent, but also a testament to the social inequalities of its time. It reminds us that even the most beautiful objects can be born of unequal economic relations.