Portaal met medaillon tussen pilasters 1772 - 1779

Jean Pelletier created this drawing of a portal with a medallion between pilasters in pen and gray ink. Architectural drawings like this one played an important role in 18th-century France, a period marked by the rise of a professionalized building industry, growing urban centers and elaborate courtly life. The drawing presents an elevation of a doorway, flanked by classical pilasters. The formal style imitates that of ancient Greece and Rome. The medallion at the top, adorned with foliage, suggests a space for inscription or heraldry. Drawings like this one, therefore, reflect the cultural aspirations of the French elite. But how should we understand this drawing today? What was Pelletier’s role in France at the time? Answers to these questions can be found by consulting archives such as the French Royal Academy of Architecture, a key institution in shaping architectural taste at the time. Ultimately, this work reminds us that taste is not neutral; it is the product of social and institutional forces.