Design for Trompe L'Oeil Ceiling for Dining Room, Hôtel de Trévise 1850 - 1910

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise created this design for a trompe l'oeil ceiling with watercolor and graphite around the turn of the 20th century. At the time in France, the Beaux-Arts style dominated, emphasizing symmetry and classical forms, often reinforcing the values of the elite. The design, intended for the Hôtel de Trévise's dining room, would have created an immersive illusion of depth and grandeur. It’s interesting to consider the function of dining rooms, and who they were designed for: spaces traditionally associated with displays of wealth, power, and gendered expectations of domesticity. How might this elaborate ceiling design have shaped the experience of those within the room? Consider the emotional impact of trompe l’oeil, a technique that invites viewers to question their perception and reality. It could either reinforce the status quo or, perhaps, create a momentary disruption of it through the playful deceit of the eye.