Diverse ornamenten 1820

This page of ornament studies was designed by Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet, a French sculptor, sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. It is made using pen and ink on paper. Beauvallet's drawing reflects a renewed interest in classical motifs, neoclassical style, and design. While Beauvallet was known for his skills in carving stone, here, he demonstrates fluency in ink drawing, using it to create diverse ornamental designs. The drawings focus on symbolic objects and human forms reminiscent of ancient Greece and Rome. Note the labor evident in the meticulous details, from the muscles of the figures to the feathers of the eagle. The medium of pen and ink lends itself to the creation of precise lines and intricate patterns. The designs are studies, which would have been reproduced as prints, for use by other artisans. This underscores the division of labor inherent in the production of ornamental sculpture.