biglam/cooper-hewitt-alt-text huggingface dataset:
Miyato River by Great Bank of Asakusa River, No 68 from One Hundred Views of Edo (Asakusa-gawa Okawa-bata, Miyato-gawa)
Ando Hiroshige, Japanese, 1797–1858, 1797-1858
Woodblock print in colored ink on paper
Print

This image is capturing a summer tradition located on the Ryogoku Bridge. Visitors about to ascend Mount Oyama first rinse themselves in the body of water, Sumida. This sacred ritual is an act of purification before they begin their forty-mile hike towards the south. Two boats, one visible on the right side and the other located at the bottom left corner, filled with people are completing the last acts of the ritual after they have completed the climb up the mountain. As they chant, they are also holding paper strips (gohei), which will later be passed throughout the streets of Edo. This sacred act on the river is accompanied by other boats going along their typical daily routine.
View of a Harbor
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1880
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Ships anchored in harbor; Sketch of shoreline with a mountain in the background.
Necklace
, ca. 1830
Seed pearls, mother-of-pearl, gold, fiber

Necklace comprising eight sunburst-ornaments of seed pearls connected by strands and loops of seed pearls; gold clasp.  Necklace and companion members of suite in a circular red leather case designed to hold the group.
Full Moon over a Winter Landscape at Twilight, Hudson, New York
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, 1870–80
Brush and oil on paperboard
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a distant view over snow-covered hills from the artist's estate near Hudson, New York. The moon floats in front of a bank of clouds, which is still lighted by the setting sun. Faint, pink crepuscular rays emanate from behind clouds.
Tile
, possibly 17th century
Glass-glazed earthenware, underglaze decoration

Vertical rectangle. Turbaned figure on white horse directed toward the left, holds white falcon in right hand. Floral ornament at edges. Heavily glazed, the figures penciled in black and standing in relief against blue ground.
Sample Sheet, Two Designs for Cups and Saucers
, ca. 1825
Brush and gray, yellow, brown watercolor on cream paper
Drawing

Two designs for cups and saucers probably made of cut glass; opal, hylite.  Arranged in a vertical row showing a cup at top, a saucer below, the number "1" inscribed in pen and black ink in the interval between. Second design for a cup and saucer below with the number "2" inscribed in pen and black ink in the interval between. The cup handles are at right. The decorating consists in the upper designs of framing stripes and rows of golden leaves, in the lower designs of framing garlands and carved flutes.
Design for a Pitcher
, 1701–1750
Pen and dark ink, brush and gray watercolor on paper
Drawing

Handle at right; body decorated with two narrow friezes with entwined waves and rosettes in the interval. A similar frieze is around the stem of the foot. Outside of handle is a leaf and garland. Verso: graphite sketches: a tablet and others.
The Big Boom (Peasants Under a Vine-Trellis)
Jonas Suyderhoef, Dutch, ca. 1613 - 1686, ca. 1650
Etching on paper
Print

An outdoor scene in front of a tavern at left. Under a vine-trellis before the tavern are two seated peasants at right. Left, a standing woman pouring wine into a glass. Behind her stands a child in the open doorway.
The Great Rosary
Erhard Schön, German, 1491-1542, 1519
Woodcut on paper
Print

A densely populated image, at the center of which is the crucifixion. Surrounded by a ring of flowers, the figure of Christ is flanked by rows outlining the hierarchies of heaven and earth. The figure of God is pictured above the crucifix, with Madonna at left, and angels at right. Angels bear the Veronica at top center. Other identifiable figures within the rosary rows include Moses and various saints. Below, angels raise figures from flames. At top right, 1519, and at top right, the monogram "MTR" on a scroll.
Decorative Panel Designs
Pierre Ranson, French, 1736–1786, 1777–79
Etching on paper
Print

Design for two rectangular decorative panels featuring arabesque motifs including scrolling acanthus leaves (rinceaux), fleurons, flowers, festoons of flowers, a medallion, and ribbons. The plate is numbered.
Elevation of Town Mansion
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, ca. 1793-1794
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper
Drawing

The left half is shown in the height of three stories. A variation of the design -1058, with two colonnades. The left section corresponds to -1063.
Wine Bottle Cooler (Seau à Demi-Bouteille; One of a Pair)
Saint-Cloud Porcelain Manufactory, French, active by 1693 - 1766, ca. 1730
soft paste porcelain, vitreous enamel
wine cooler

Cylindrical, with rounded base and slightly splayed foot; projecting gadrooned rim and rodent-head handles.  Lower portion of body gadrooned.  Bands of blue diapering with recurrent medallions about neck and base.
Sketches of Plants
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, 1855–70
Graphite on off-white wove paper
Drawing

Botanical sketch showing two views of plant branches with abundant leaves. At upper center, one bough is generally positioned vertically, with numerous, somewhat small leaves. At lower center, another branch with wider leaves is roughly positioned horizontally.
Oxalis, Zinnia, and Potato Blossom, East Hampton
Samuel Colman, American, 1832–1920, July 6, 1889
Brush and watercolor, graphite on cream paper
Drawing

Studies of oxalis, zinnia, and potato blossom. Verso: sweet pea; also, sketches for a monogram.
Panel Design of Grotesque Ornaments
Jean Berain, the elder, French, 1640-1711, 1711
Engraving on laid paper
Bound print

Panel design of grotesque ornamentation framed by rosettes in lozenges. The panel features motifs such as: scrolls, goats, chained monkeys (singeries), harpies, winged terms, anguipèdes, birds, vases, and mascarons. The plate is signed with Berain's name, and given the lettering system "L."
Façade d'un Bâtiment suivant l'ordonnance Dorique élevé sur un soubassement
Jean-François de Neufforge, Flemish, 1714–1791, 1768
Engraving on paper
Print

Façade and profile of a building of the Doric order. There is a scale bar of 12 toises (1 toise was equal to about 3.799 square meters) at the bottom of the page. The plate is signed and numbered.
Two Ornament Designs with Roundels
Jean-Baptiste Huet, French, 1745 – 1811, 1776–89
Crayon manner etching on paper
Print

Two horizontal ornament designs featuring central roundels with male portraits, surrounded by foliate branches, foliate scrolls, fleurons, putti, lions, and scrolling leaves (rinceaux). The plate is numbered.
Mantel Clock Case Design
Gilles-Marie Oppenord, French, 1672–1742, 1738
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Design for a mantel clock decorated with rococo motifs and ornament. The clock case is topped with two winged putti holding a flaming torch and an arrow within a shell, with scrolling acanthus leaves and cornucopia of fruit and flowers on the sides. The base is framed by lion heads and legs on either side, with leaves. The clock face in the center is round with a running pattern border, framed within a larger case decorated with a cartouche, gadrooning and other motifs. The plate is signed and numbered. A profile (side view) of the design is illustrated on plate 6 within this series (1921-6-376-6).
Pillar strip
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1780–1800
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper, lined
Drawing

In the top center is a female mask from which two entwined ribbons spring, forming ovals; three are above, four are below a central oval medallion, with the figure of a woman, standing. In the center of the ovals is a stem with leaves. Surrounded by a dark colored strip.
Design for a Wallpaper Frieze
, ca. 1810
Graphite, brush and paint on paper
Drawing

Mouldings form a half circle and a framing band of it. Half a laural wreath surrounds a black sun in the half circle. a zigzag thread hands on beads from the upper moulding. In the framing band alternate white and grey oblongs, the latter ones showing an ornamentation. A plan hangs in the wedges. Mouldings, including a bead moulding, are on top.
Drawing
, ca. 1800
Graphite, pen and ink, brush and watercolor on paper

Horizontal rectangle. At left is a wash stand with three legs. In the center is a vanity table, shown obliquely, with four lion feet in green bronze. Ornaments are of the same material, so are the brackets and parts of the cresting. At right is a chair, shown obliquely, in profile. Base line. The framing line is partly cut away.
POELE formant colonne tronquée, cannelée, à bandeaux, orné de bas-reliefs et surmonté d’un vase antique
Louis-Gustave Taraval, French, 1738 – 1794, ca. 1791
Etching and hand colored watercolor on paper
Print

Design for a stove heater decorated with neoclassical motifs, in the form a fluted column with two friezes of figures, topped with a two-handled vase decorated with repeating patterns (gadrooning, and leaf motifs), and a frieze with figures. The base of the column is decorated with repeating pattern moldings of leaves. The column sits within an arched niche, on a pedestal. The plate is hand colored with watercolor, with signatures inscribed in ink.
Plate 1, from a set of four frieze designs
Theodor de Bry, Flemish, 1528 – 1598, ca. 1590
Engraving on white laid paper
Print

The first print of the set Berlin 24. Illustrated in Berliner, "Ornamentale Verlage-Blätter, pl. 216, 1.
Pendant
Antonio Civilotti, 1798 - 1870, ca. 1850
Enamel, gold, 24 pearls and 46 diamonds.

Enamel-painting of a young girl in a bonnet in a white blouse and blue shirt, holding flowers in her left hand and a jar and cake in her right.  Mounted in a gold frame with five pendants and ring, all ornamented with pearls and rose diamonds.
Vase with Flowers
Pierre Ranson, French, 1736–1786, late 18th century
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Design for a two-handled vase on a support or bracket, with sprigs of flowers and festoons of flowers intertwined. The vase features scrolling leaves (rinceaux) and a lid with a flower finial. The bracket is decorated with two rosettes and a hanging festoon of laurel leaves.
Design for a Stagecoach
Richard de Lalonde, French, active 1780–96, 1780-1796
Etching on off-white laid paper
Print

Profile and rear view of a design for a stagecoach decorated with ornament motifs including pinecones, fluting, acanthus leaves, bouquets of flowers, scrolls, branches, and a trophy. The plate is signed and numbered.
Plate, from Le Jugement Universel
Tommaso Piroli, Italian, 1752 - 1824, 1808
Etching on paper
Print

Plate 4
Bellflower Ornament
, 1815–1823
Pen and ink on paper
Drawing

A row of four bellflowers with beads suspended from a rosette on a disk.
Sepulchral Monument to a Hero
Unknown, Italian, 1815–30
Pen and black ink, brush and pink, green, brown and black watercolor on off-white paper
Drawing

Elevation of a free-standing circular monument, positioned at the center of the sheet.  The monument stands on a circular base and is reached via steps.  The pedestals projecting from the stairs carry burning candelabra.  The monument itself is comprised of three parts: cylindrical base, smaller cylindrical mid-section, and rectangular top.  At the first level, two female figures sit on a rectangular pedestal/bench.  Their backs are turned away from each other and hands cover their faces.  Above, on the drum, in relief, two winged figures carry a round medallion decorated with a head in profile.  On each side of the drum (left and right) is a seated figure.  Their heads are covered by the head scarves.  At the monument's mid-section, at the bottom, winged figures stand on pedestals at equal intervals.  The upper portion of the drum is decorated with a festoon ring.  The top of the monument is reserved for the sarcophagus elevated on a high pedestal.  At its base, at the center of each side, sits a female figure in a regal pose.
Mrs. Levicz as Peace, Study for "Justice and Peace"
Daniel Huntington, American, 1816–1906, July 1878
Charcoal and white chalk on grey laid paper
Drawing

Head and shoulders of a female figure, seen in left profile.
Band
, 14th century
silk, linen, metallic Technique: complementary weft 2/1 twill

Band with heraldic motifs; double-headed eagle, crowned lion and addorsed birds within diamonds.
Dedication / Title Page
Jean-Bernard Turreau, French, 1672 - 1731, early 18th century
Etching on laid paper
Print

Dedication lettered on a cartouche framed by an arch topped with a coat of arms, crown, shell, putti, c-scrolls, scrolling leaves (rinceaux), birds, mascaron (mask), herms with vases, and a draped textile. The plate is signed.
Sixteen-pointed Star Surrounded by Circles
, ca. 1780
Cut paper on wood frame
Lantern slide

Magic lantern slide, optical toy. On black field, a sixteen-pointed star within a surrounding pierced circle at center. Outside circle, sixteen rays composed of tear-shaped openings filled with transverse stripes of yellow, green, and black, and of alternating ovals and lozenges similarly filled with stripes of pink, green, and black.
Imaginary Classical Temple in the Mountains
Felice Giani, Italian, 1758–1823, 1800–1825
Black chalk on cream wove paper
Drawing

Stairs, high building with portico in front, all situated on substructure. Two figures in classical attire, one seated, one standing below steps, extending right arms.  Background at right, trees, at left, top of trees and mountains.
Wall Clock (Cartel) Design
Jean François Forty, active 1775 – 1790, 1775–94
Etching and engraving on paper
Print

Design for a wall clock (cartel) before lettering, with a round clockface with a head wearing a crescent moon on its head in the center on a sheet of paper with framing foliate branches, flaming torch, snake, ruler, caliper, and measuring devices
Panel of Ornament with Grotesque Heads
Felice Giani, Italian, 1758–1823, 
Pen and light brown ink, light gray-brown wash on laid paper
Drawing

Motifs of grotesque decoration include foliate-botto genius
Bandbox
, 1765–1818
Block-printed paper on pasteboard support

Very small fragmentary piece, appearing to be simulated moire or wood grain design, printed in deep blue, with clusters of small stylized white flowers printed on light blue ground. At one extreme end is part of a wreath of seven-petaled flowers with centers, all in gray. Removed from a bandbox.
At the Shore of a Bay
Charles Nicolas Ransonnette, French, 1793 - 1877, ca. 1860
Pen and ink, brush and gray watercolor on tissue paper
Drawing

A pavilion at the corner of a garden wall and a cross are shown in the first plane. A coast line and a lighthouse are beyind the center. Two sailing boats are in the background. Signature Ches Ransonnette, below at left.
Wall of a room in a museum
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1746–1809
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper, lined
Drawing

Wall of a room in a museum.
Fantastic Flower Motif from Nouvelle Suitte de Cahiers de Fleurs Idéales
Jean-Baptiste Pillement, French, 1728–1808, late 18th century
Etching a la poupée and colored inks on paper
Print

A central stem diverges to five separate branches. Three, at top, emerge into orange, teal, and light green lattices to suport floral arrangements of small blossoms in blue, pink, and lavender, respectively. Below, long thin floral arrangements in lavender (left) and blue (right) are flanked by long almond-shaped leaves, emerging from the blossoms perpendicularly. At left, in green, and at right, orange.
Asia
Giovanni Volpato, Italian, 1740 - 1803, 1740–1803
Etching and brush and watercolor on paper
Print

Allegory of Asia
Title Page
Johann Leonhard Eisler, German, 1672 – 1733, 1720–25
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Title page for a series of grotesque mascarons or masks. The title is lettered in the center of an oval cartouche decorated with ornament - c-scrolls, fleurons, rosettes, fruit, flowers, masks, and scrolling acanthus leaves. The plate is signed.
Button
, 19th century
steel with brass wash

flat button in daisy design - group of knobs, center, surrounded by pointed petals - button has received a brass wash.

On card 58
Elevation of a Processional Lantern
, late 18th century
Graphite, pen and ink, brush and watercolor on paper
Drawing

Design for a lantern. The burning candle is visible at front. The short oblique sides are decorated with garlands hanging from volutes. The upper part has the shape of a dome with a sphere and a cross on top.
Project for a Brooch
, 1750–1775
Pen and ink, brush and watercolor, sepia on paper
Drawing

Ribbons composed of leaves adn volutes, form a kind of heart, with four drops of diamonds and two blossoms of diamonds.
Town Square (Study for an Illustration)
Walter Shirlaw, American, b. Scotland, 1838–1909, ca. 1900
Brush and watercolor, black crayon on paper
Drawing

At left is the corner of an Italian Gothic church. A lighthouse rises in the background above a crenelated wall. At right are a house and a tree. Groups of people in fantastic attire are shown.
Nouveaux desseins de Rampes d’Escalier avec Panneaux et Consolles
Pierre Edme Babel, French, 1720–1775, 1890–1910
Facsimile of the original etching (photomechanical or lithography)
Print

Three designs for wrought iron or metalwork staircase balustrades featuring scrolling leaves, c-scrolls, s-scrolls, fleurons, flowers, foliate branches, flaming torch, bird, vases, and a vase with putto finial. The plate is titled and signed, with a scale below. This is a late 19th-early 20th-century reproduction from a series first published between 1738-1743.
Project for a Sepulchral Monument (Mausoleum)
Mario Asprucci The Younger, Italian, 1764 – 1804, ca. 1800
Pen and black ink, brush and gray, green, blue, and brown wash, black chalk on paper, lined
Drawing

Design for a sepulchral monument.  The sheet is divided into two parts.  The upper portion depicts the elevation of a domed/vaulted building, positioned on a multi-leveled platform.  Flights of stairs lead up to the building (located on the third level).  On the second level two fluted columns stand on either side of the building.  They are toped with figures standing on spheres.  At the first level of the platform there are two statues standing besides censers, and like the columns, these sculptural groupings are located on either side of the building.  There is long horizontal freeze located at the center of the first level of the platform.  

The lower portion of the sheet depicts a half of the plan for the structure.
Design for Mechanical Furniture: Dressing Table and Bookcase
, ca. 1805
Pen and ink, brush and watercolor on paper
Drawing

Upper left, side elevation of a dressing table with fitted compartments; lower left, details of construction, show through top. Right, front elevation of a design for a bookcase with double glass doors, flanked by pilasters and surmounted by dentil mounting and railing cornice with center and corner finials. Details of construction, side and top. Scale below each piece.
Caricature of James McNeill Whistler
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1881
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of a male figure's face wearing eye glasses.
Design for a Theater Curtain
V. Bertolotti, active 1850–1860, mid-19th century
Pen and black, blue ink, brush and watercolor, gouache, gold paint, graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Horizontal format. Designs in the grotesque style. An exedra forms the central motif in which a woman with a dagger, probably "Tragedy," stands between two seated women; the left one holds a bloody bearded head, the right one plays a lyre. Two satyrs crouch at the outside.
Trophy Designs
D. Antoine Pierretz, French, active 1647, 1648
Etching on laid paper
Print

Designs for six trophies featuring arms and armor, helmets, shields, quiver of arrows, bow, arrows, ribbons, flaming torches, cornucopia, wheat, and caduceus (staff with winged helmet, wings and snakes). The plate is numbered.
View of Venice, Italy
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1880–1881
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of six figures along a canal in Venice.
Design for a Frieze with the Allegory of Music
Piat Joseph Sauvage, French, 1744 - 1818, 1785-1790
Pen and ink, brush and sepia wash on paper
Drawing

A putto plays the flute while another holds the music book. A third plays the triangle, a fourth listens.
Textile
Cheney Brothers, South Manchester, Connecticut, USA, ca. 1915
silk, metallic thread Technique: compound satin weave

Reproduction textile inspired by French eighteenth century fabric in the Cooper Union Museum collection. Design has figures in Chinese costume fishing in a small boat with water lilies and other plants on a black ground.
Textile
Gorgerat Frères et Cie., Nantes, France, 1783–1815, ca. 1789
cotton Technique: printed by engraved copper plates on plain weave

Roman figures preparing a sacrifice at an altar under an elaborate canopy with a female figure holding a crown representing Fortune with a putti holding a Phrygian cap pointing to an open book in symmetry with Fame with a trumpet all on the right side. On the left, the figure of France in a chariot drawn by two lions accompanied by figures representing Wisdom, Hope and an unknown figure under a temple containing an eternal flame. All surrounded with drapery and elements of French gardens. In red on white.
Vessel
Christopher Dresser, Scottish, 1834–1904, 1879–82
Glazed earthenware

Stirrup-spout bottle with spiraling abstract decoration and green glaze.
Tapis (skirt)
, late 19th century
silk and cotton embroidery on silk foundation Technique: warp-faced plain weave with tied resist patterning in warp (ikat); discontinuous supplementary weft patterning (brocaded); and embroidery in split and surface satin stitches

Two panels are stitched together to form what was once a tubular sarong. Each panel is patterned with warp ikat in a geometric interlock pattern arranged in a grid of dyed and woven lines. Narrow woven orange stripes are embroidered with white silk, and wider bands are patterned with discontinuous supplementary wefts.
Pillow top
, ca. 1720
cotton, linen Technique: embroidery, deflected element work, needle lace, and trapunto

White on white pattern. Coat of arms surmounted by crown enclosed within an elaborate frame.
Vase
Louis Comfort Tiffany, American, 1848–1933, ca. 1900
favrile glass

An amber colored glass vase. Standing on a tall narrow stem, this vase references a flower with a wavy, flared top.
Study of a Man's Head
Antoine Watteau, French, 1684–1721, 1734
Etching on laid paper
Print

Study of a man's face with some curly hair visible and part of a cap and his collar. The man looks to the left. The plate is signed and dated.
Decoration of the Two Vestibules in Hotel Roquelaure
Jean-Baptiste Le Roux, French, ca. 1677-1746, ca. 1727
Etching on paper
Print

Elevations of the two vestibules, each with a double door. The one, at left, has windows flanking the door. The second, at right, without windows. The lateral bays decorated with trophies of war. Similar decoration on both ceiling coves. Inscribed, upper margin: "Decorations intericures des Vestibules de l'Hôtel de Roquelaure à Paris du dessein de M. le Roux Architecte"; lower right: "Mariette excu."
Design for a bracelet
Salvatori, Italian, active 19th century, 1875
Graphite on heavy wove paper
Drawing

Horizontal rectangle. A serpent.
Wall tile
, 18th century
Tin-enamelled earthenware

Square tile with decoration in roundel, in manganese purple, of the Good Samaritan; small floral motifs in spandrels.
Collar
, ca. 1840
cotton Technique: needlework on net

Round net collar with an scalloped border edged with triangular tabs. Leafy vine runs along three sides with oval groups of flowerheads in the interstices.
Pleated fan
, 1793–1803
Paper leaf with hand-colored engraving embroidered with metallic spangles, incised bone sticks with applied metallic foil

Guards and sticks: ivory with much engraved, silvered detail.
Tea box and cover
, 19th century
lacquered wood

Cylindrical box, rounded at bottom and slightly flaring. Cover flat, with rounded edge. Brown lacquer with grass straws in gold and relief dots in gold and silver. Relief mark on bottom.