Design for the painted decoration of a ceiling with the monogram: AS 1830 - 1897

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise created this ceiling decoration design with watercolor and graphite on paper. The composition, restrained and orderly, is neatly arranged with parallel lines. Cool blues and soft grays are punctuated by small gilded squares in a delicate lattice-like pattern. Together, they evoke a sense of harmony and understated elegance. The design is structured around a central framed image of a cherubic figure floating in a blue sky. Above and below the figure, Lachaise arranges decorative emblems, which are carefully delineated. The monogram "AS," likely a personal or family emblem, anchors the bottom, creating a visual hierarchy. The artwork's classical motifs and symmetrical arrangement reference formal traditions. It engages with notions of idealized beauty. Yet, it also hints at a deeper structural inquiry into how we perceive and organize visual information. As such, the design is not merely ornamental, but an exploration of how form can communicate meaning.