Designs for a painted ceiling with filagree borders 1830 - 1897

This watercolor design by Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise for a painted ceiling, dated 1830-1897, is a fine example of a design for interior decoration. The elaborate and detailed filigree borders are reminiscent of Rococo-style ornamentation and would have been executed in the style of decorative painting known as trompe l’oeil, which gives the illusion of three dimensionality. The design is meant to be repeated for a larger ceiling. It was drawn on paper and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.