Design for Ceiling, Château de Cangé 1850 - 1900

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise made this design for a ceiling at the Château de Cangé, using graphite, pen and watercolor. The square format and symmetrical composition gives it a jewel-like quality, as if we're looking at a detail of jewelry. It also has the qualities of printmaking, like an etching. Lachaise’s material processes are delicate and refined; consider the intricacy of the watercolor washes, and the confident pen lines that contain them. The design is perfectly suited to its intended function. The artist would have had to have a deep understanding of the Château's architecture, and it’s historical and social context. Ultimately, it testifies to the skilled labor that went into elite commissions. Rather than thinking of this drawing as simply a preparatory exercise, recognize it as an object of beauty in its own right. The material qualities and processes used challenge any firm distinction between fine art and craft.