Classical Ceiling Moldings with Floral Ornament 1776 - 1779

Thomas Hardwick created this graphite drawing of classical ceiling moldings sometime between 1768 and 1829. Hardwick belonged to a family of prominent architects who shaped the London cityscape, including the Bank of England, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. England at this time saw itself as the inheritor of classical culture. The classical style served to legitimize a certain cultural project, associated with the British Empire. The drawing shows a design for ceilings, which would have been the crowning glory in the homes of the wealthy, the professional classes, and aristocracy. Classical designs like these conveyed a sense of harmony, order, and reason, reflecting the values of those who commissioned them. Art history allows us to understand how cultural values get embedded in aesthetic forms. By studying drawings like these, architectural historians can better understand how classical values were promoted and naturalized through the built environment.