Ceiling and Cove Designs for Stairway, Hôtel Rothschild, Vienna 1850 - 1900

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise created this watercolor and graphite design for the Hôtel Rothschild in Vienna. The drawing illustrates the kind of ornate plasterwork that would have been painstakingly produced by skilled artisans. Consider the material reality of this design. Plasterwork begins with the burning of limestone, a widespread sedimentary rock. This is then slaked with water, and applied to walls and ceilings. The designs are built up layer by layer. This kind of ornate interior would have been a demonstration of the Rothschild’s wealth, consuming countless hours of specialized labor to produce. The final effect is of weightlessness and delicacy, belying the heavy process required to create it. Lachaise’s rendering gives us just a glimpse of the amount of work that would have gone into realizing the space. By appreciating the labor involved, we can move beyond the aesthetic impression of the design and into an understanding of its social context.