biglam/cooper-hewitt-alt-text huggingface dataset:
Plate 17 from Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum by Jacques Besson
René Boyvin, French, 1525 - 1625, after 1578
Engraving on off-white laid paper; brush and watercolor, gouache and gold paint, cut out and laid down on tan wove paper
Print

A royal wagon with circular front and rear suspension is decorated with sphinxes, satyrs and double tailed winged supporters. The carriage is constructed with an open lattice work top allowing for visibility of the two male passengers inside. THe carraige is pulled along be two horses at right above which a front elevation of the suspension element is shown.
A block of text is printed across the top of the sheet.

This version of the print has been cut out and mounted on a thick sheet of tan machine made wove paper. It is hand colored, definitely at a later date possibly 19th century, with opaque watercolor and also thin washes. The text block has been colored to simulate marble and the carriage has been treated with gold paint to suggest gilding. The elaborate strapwork border, or frame around the image has also been painted.
Bell Krater
, 350–300 BC
earthenware
krater

Bell-shaped body with two up-turned handles, set on a straight high foot. Between bands of  twin leaves (above) and running waves (below), a maenad holding a phiale, and a satyr; on opposite side, two draped youths; large anthemion under each handle. Red figures on black ground; small white highlights in details. Inner surface black.
Vase
, 18th century
Glass

Two-handled vase in white glass with painted decoration.  Vase has a long neck and wide flaring opening.  Body of vase is short and round.
Homeward Bound
Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, December 21, 1867
Wood engraving in black ink on paper
Print

View of the passengers on the steamer's top deck.
Border
, 1810–35
Block-printed on handmade paper

A row of egg-shaped forms, resting on truncated bottoms, outlined in foliage. Each egg contains highlights and a stylized foliate stem with flower and curl decorations at the base. Bottom edge has dentilling, and vestigial dentilling is under stripes of the top edging. Printed in chartreuse, brown, grey, tan, white.

H# 513
Stomacher
, mid-18th century
silk, metallic, paperboard Technique: embroidered Label: silk embroidered with metallic yarns

Stomacher with a trefoil point at the bottom, solidly embroidered in silver metallic yarns with a symmetrical design of flowers and leaves, framed by two spiralling ribbons.
Frieze
Maxwell & Co., S.A., Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1905–1915
Machine-printed paper, liquid mica

Borders printed two across. Large floral vining and small floral swags on background of lace-like vertical stripes and moires. Bottom band of brattishing, top band of small scrolls. Ground shades from light grey to cream. Printed in greens, pinks, light purple, white and white liquid mica. Printed in selvedge, "S. A.  Maxwell & Co. New York & Chicago" pattern number "4060" "D"
Sampler
, early 19th century
silk embroidery on cotton foundation Technique: embroidered in cross, stem, satin, long armed cross, threaded running, Roumanian, fern, and buttonhole embroidery stitches on plain weave foundation Label: cotton embroidered with silk in cross, stem, satin, long armed cross, threaded running, Roumanian, fern, and buttonhole embroidery stitches

Vividly colored sampler in which the lower two-thirds is composed of flame patterns. The upper left corner has spot motifs, including a butterfly, dog, sheep, shepherdess, and various buildings; the upper right small floral bands.
Hôtel dela Marquise de Brunoy, Plate 60 from "Vues Pittoresques des Princepaux Édifices de Paris"
Les Campion Frères, Paris, France, 1792
Engraving and brush and watercolors on paper
Print

Pillared porch of a house, with garden and arbors, figures and a dog in the foreground. Title, artists' and publisher's names below.
Design for a Passageway with Canopy, for Royal Pavilion, Brighton
Frederick Crace, English, 1779–1859, 1803 or earlier
Pen and black and yellow-green ink, brush and watercolor on white wove paper, silhouetted
Drawing

Perspective view of a narrow corridor, with a doorway at the far end. In the foreground, the wall leading to the area has a pagoda-like canopy over the entrance. On either side of the door is a pair of columns with trellis-work panels between them. Trellis-work panels cover the walls of the corridor and doors.  The very elaborate and highly worked designs appear both on the walls and in the carpet. The abstract treatment of the dragon slithering down the edge of the canopy creates an abstract scrolling pattern seen in other designs. Designed for glass passage.

Original album associated with this collection still exists.  See 1948-40-1 accessory
Shawl
, 19th century
wool Technique: embroidered on tapestry weave

Oblong shawl of white Kashmir wool with wide end borders and narrow side borders in brilliant colors, mainly in a paisley motif. Border in tapestry weave with embroidered outlines and details, mainly in red. Corner ornaments embroidered in brilliant colors.
Cap streamer
, 1700–1750
linen Technique: bobbin lace, Brussels style

Cap streamer with a design of floral and foliated branches.
Ewer and Basin
Gottlieb Menzel, German, 1676 – 1757, ca. 1730
silver, gold
ewer, basin

Helmet-shaped ewer on domed foot, engraved with strapwork, and bearing lobed medallions in two sizes, the larger representing Asia and America, the smaller Geometry, Music, etc.  Double-scrolled handle.
The basin is marli alternately lobed and straight, with guilloche band, strapwork engraving, and four large relief medallions representing the Four Elements, and four smaller medallions of the Four Continents.  Gadrooned well; raised center with relief medallion of Hercules crowned by Victory, framed in guilloche border and strapwork.
Valentine Greeting
, ca. 1875
Chromolithograph on embossed paper
Greeting Card

A bunch of flowers in an oval frame, hinged, and hiding a nine-line poem entitled: "I love thee".
Frieze
Robert Graves Co., New York, New York, 1905–1915
Machine-printed oatmeal paper

Repeating motif of a large-scale pink poppy. Each motif has a flower intertwined with a leaf on the next motif. The stalk and foliage is in a stylized, very symmetrical arrangement. A light green band runs along the top edge. Printed on a light tan oatmeal paper.
Red-Eyed Pigeon, Plate 22 from Birds of Western Africa
William Home Lizars, Scottish, 1788 - 1859, 1837
Engraving, brush and watercolor on paper
Print

Bird on a branch, near the sloped bank of a lake. The bird has a pink body, brown back, and wings, and pale blue cap and tail feathers. Title and artists' names below.
Button
Agostino Brunias, Italian, ca. 1730–1796, late 18th century
Gouache paint on tin verre fixé, ivory (backing), glass, gilt metal

Button depicting scene of five figures outside near a large house. From left: a seated man, wearing a pink shirt, playing a drum, a woman with only head visible standing behind another woman, wear white with pink stripes, who claps [to the music]. In the foreground, a lighter skinned woman wearing an open corset and skirt dances with a man who wears white clothing and a pink sash.
Two-Handled Sugar Bowl
Carl Thieme Potschappel Porcelain Manufactory, German, established 1872, late 19th–early 20th century
hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold
sugar bowl

Cylindrical body and domed lid with gilded flower finial. Flower wreath with basket. Two handles.
Design for Ceiling Decoration
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1746–1809
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash off-white laid paper, lined
Drawing

Design for Ceiling Decoration.
A Flying Angel Carrying a Wreath
, early 17th century
Pen and black ink, black chalk on laid paper
Drawing

Vertical rectangle. Figure of a flying angel carrying a wreath, shown obliquely from the right side, flying downwards. The right arm with the wreath is raised.
Window Balustrade Designs
Jean François Forty, active 1775 – 1790, late 18th century
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Eight designs for ornamental ironwork window balustrades featuring neoclassical motifs, repeating patterns, c-scrolls, fleurons, festoons of leaves, rosettes, interlaced motifs, diamonds, and roundels. The plate is numbered and signed.
Excerpt from "An Artist Among Animals" for Scribner's Magazine (XIV, No. 6, December 1893, p. 751, 752)
Frederick Stuart Church, American, 1842–1924, 1893
Printed in black ink on paper
Ephemera

Article clipping from Scribner's Magazine, on Frederick Stuart Church and his creative process. Page 751 has illustrations. Top illustration shows a tiger emerging from brush. On the bottom right, an illustration of three sand-pipers.
Motif for Decorative Design
Walter Shirlaw, American, b. Scotland, 1838–1909, 1875–80
Graphite on paper
Drawing

A woman, shown from the front, seated in front of a circular window.
Design for a Fountain with the Coat-of-Arms of Pope Gregory XVI
, 1831–1836
Pen and brown ink on off-white laid paper
Drawing

At the back of a pond rises a wall. Upon it stands a triumphal arch with the top of a papal coat-of-arms. On either side, winged figures blowing trumpets. Below the arch stands an armored figure. Fountains on either side.
Pleated fan
, late 19th century
Silk gauze leaf painted with gouache, gilded wood sticks

Pleated fan with painted black gauze leaf. Obverse: painted sprig of white and Tea roses. Reverse: plain.  Plain wood sticks gilded a rust color. Guards: with same finish as sticks; decorated with bumps imitating bamboo.
Design for a Plaster Ceiling
George Richardson, British, ca. 1736 - 1813, n.d.
Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash on wove paper
Drawing

Design for an ornamental plaster ceiling, border in gray wash, scale in pen and ink at bottom. Inscriptions in pen and ink at lower left, written vertically.
Fragment
, 17th century
linen, wool Technique: float patterned plain weave

Fragment made of threee pieces of fabric sewn together, The design of all is a small-scale diaper.
Medallion
, 5th–8th century
Warp; S-spun linen. S-spun linen, S-spun wool wefts Technique: slit tapestry with supplementary weft wrapping

Medallion with figure of kneeling warrior in brown, red and yellow
Landscape near Latacunga, Ecuador
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, June 17, 1857
Graphite on tan wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing view of the terrain near the town now called Latacunga, Ecuador. Rocks and grass comprise foreground. In middle distance, a wide mountain valley stretches across the composition, with a deeply cut river bed stretching toward a mountainous background. House visible atop bluff at left. Town or village visible in background at right. Flat plain extends into distance, where it meets hills and mountains. View of same seen, though partially rendered, visible below along lower margin.
Chair and Flowering Plants, Baalbek, Lebanon
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, May 15, 1868
Graphite on gray-green wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Botanical sketches from Lebanon showing five views of different flowering plants, as well as a folding chair shown from its side at upper left.

Verso: Field sketch showing transcriptions of writing in three different languages found on the base of a column at Baalbek. Arabic and Greek characters are visible below, with Latinate letters visible in upper half, shown in reverse.
Design for a Painted Ceiling: Triumph of Meekness and Strength
Francesco Manno, Italian, 1754 - 1831, ca. 1780
Brush and black wash, pen and ink, black chalk on paper
Drawing

Seated upon clouds are a woman beside a lamb and an armoured woman holding a column.  An angel holding the tiara flies over them, another one shouldering the keys at left, a genius blowing the trumpet, at right.  Four animals are shown at the foot of the group: a seal, a unicorn, an eagle with a double head (referring to Austria or Russia), a lion crouching on a fork (England).   Written on top, in pencil: "Trionfo della Mansuetudine e della Fortezza."  [Triumph of Gentleness and Strength]
Architecture and Figure Sketches
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, April 1868
Graphite on white wove paper
drawing

Architecture and figure sketches vertically divided in half, showing a square building with an arched facade in the upper portion, and in the lower portion, a figure's head adorned in a hat is shown from behind.
Nef Design, from Dessins d'orfèvrerie (Designs for Metalwork)
Léonard Thiry, Flemish, 1550, 1540–1560
Engraving on laid paper
Print

Fontainebleau school. Design for a nef, a ship-shaped container decorated with strapwork. In which is set various aquatic scenes. At the bow, a grotesque mask; at the stern, two winged mermaids with crossed arms.
Textile
, ca. 1780
silk Technique: printed by engraved plate and hand-colored with watercolor and metallic pigments on plain weave Label: silk, printed by engraved plate and hand-colored with watercolor and metallic pigments

White ribbed silk painted in watercolors and metallic pigment.  A Chinoiserie design showing a Chinese astronomer in a garden looking through a telescope; surrounded by a framework of flowering branches, one with a bird.
Plan and Elevation for the Chapel of the Assumption in the Clementine College of the Fathers of the Congregation of Somasca
, ca. 1671
Engraving, brush and blue wash on paper
Print

Plan and Elevation for the Chapel of the Assumption in the Clementine College of the Fathers of the Congregation of Somasca.
Textile
, 16th–17th century
medium: silk Technique: 4&1 satin damask

Twining vines and leaves with crowns and bouquests.
Box
, ca. 1835
Block-printed paper, pasteboard support

Workbox, square in plan, with shaped sides and hinged inset cover. Covered with large-scale wallpaper, pink, green and white on blue field, with birds, lace and flowers.
Fragment
, early 19th century
cotton Technique: printed on plain weave

Fragment showing quail and flowering branches in shades of brown, dark blue and dark red.
Plan des Bastiment et Jardin de la Norville fait et dessiné par le Bouteux
Michel Lebouteux, French, 1648 – 17.., 1681–83
Etching on laid paper
Print

Plan view (from above) of a building and surrounding garden, featuring fountains, basins, trees, and parterre planting, with a scale below. The plate is titled and signed.
Doorplate fastener knobbed post
, ca. 1550–1700
Steel-plated wrought iron

Six-petal floriform mount, each spade-shaped petal bearing a raised boss. Round-headed nail on squared shank.
Design for an Earring
, late 18th century
Pen and ink, brush and gray watercolor on paper
Drawing

Jewelry design for an earring. Above, a bunch of flowers and leaves fastened by a knotted ribbon, on top of a pavilion without a base, composed of bands and rows of diamonds.
Le Sultan de Lachine avec une Escalve
François-Thomas Mondon, French, 1709 – 1755, 1736
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

A chinoiserie (European decorative arts and architectural style inspired by fanciful ideas of China and East Asia) ornament print featuring a male and female figure standing on top of rocaille ornament in a fantastical landscape. The man wearing a hat with feathers holds a long pipe, the woman behind him has a single feather in her hair and holds a bunch of feathers or leaves above the man's shoulder. The ornament includes c-scrolls, scrolling leaves (rinceaux), shells, and feathers. The landscape includes trees and rocks, and the sun and clouds are visible in the sky above. The plate is titled, numbered, and signed.
Project for a reliquary, intended to be executed in wood
, ca. 1770
Pencil, pen, brush, sepia, and gray water color on paper.
Drawing

Horizontal composition of a reliquary with volutes and a cherub at the base and an escutcheon and a vase with fire at the top. Garlands are draped along the top of the reliquary and hang down on both the left and right sides. The composition is framed by two lines.
Portrait of a Man, Giuseppe Valadier
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Wicar, French, 1762 – 1834, 1825–27
Graphite on off-white laid paper mounted on tan wove paper. Ruled lines in ink on mount.
Drawing

A bust portrait of a man, in three-quarters view facing left.
Pleated fan
, 19th century
Silk bobbin lace leaf backed with linen, celluloid sticks

Pleated fan. Leaf of black Chantilly lace backed with linen. Lace showing wreath of roses with flowering stems within ornamental border. Sticks of amber colored celluloid.
Lilac
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1877
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of lilac stalk with flower petals, buds, and leaves.
Curtain tie-backs
, ca. 1850–70
Gilded copper

Rococo style cartouche on curved banded stem
Design for the Embroidery of a Man's Waistcoat of Pattern No. 1857 of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
Fabrique de Saint Ruf, Lyon, France, ca. 1785
Graphite, brush and gouache on grayish paper.
Drawing

Left bottom corner. Flower boughs and lambrequins suspended from spirals beneath the pocket. The pocket and the outer edges are decorated with palms and plants emerging from rows of beads and strokes. A bunch of flowers is in the center of the pocket.
Designs for Teapot, Hot Water Pitcher, Milk Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
, ca. 1825
Brush and gray, yellow, brown watercolor, graphite on cream paper
Drawing

Designs for parts of a tea service, including various pitchers and sugar bowl. Probably made of cut glass, opal, and hyalite. Handles are shown at right. The decorations consist mainly of a row of gray ovoidal holes with gold beads inside, around the bodies. Golden handles, spouts, and border lines.
Trimming
, 19th century
silk Technique: woven

Yellow trimming fragment in a design of ornamental motifs within lozenge shapes; picot edges.
Camel Hump, Road to Bolton Falls, Winooski River, Vermont
Daniel Huntington, American, 1816–1906, October 1864
Graphite on grey paper
Drawing

On river, foreground and right. Tree lined banks; mountains beyond.
Plate 16, from Diverses pièces de serruriers (Various Designs for Locksmiths)
Hugues Brisville, French, active ca. 1663, after 1663
Engraving on laid paper
Print

Design for a gate. At top, a crowned shield and a fleur-de-lis
Project for an Escutcheon
Leonardo Scaglia, French, active Italy, 1640 – 1650, 1625–1650
Red crayon, pen and ink, brush and bistre on paper
Drawing

Design for an oval escutcheon with a helmet cresting.
Design for a Vase
Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, French, 1727 – 1801, 1764
Etching on laid paper
Print

Design for a vase, decorated with acanthus leaves, fluting, scale ornament and a Greek key frieze, supported by two standing fauns. The plate is signed, dated and numbered.
Design for an Earring
, late 18th century
Pen and black ink, brush and red, gray watercolor, silver on paper
Drawing

Jewelry design for an earring. Scheme is similar to 1938-88-842 but with a third leaf as filling the inside of the cornucopiae. The outsides of the frames of the disk and the drops have rows of balls. Bevelled corners.
Metalwork Design
Babin, French, ca. 1750, ca. 1780
Sixth Book of Six Sheets
Print

Design for ironwork/ metalwork - a dog supporting a blank coat of arms. The plate is numbered and signed.
Trimming
, 19th century
silk Technique: woven

Yellow trimming fragment in a design of eight-petal flowers alternating with linear motifs; checkerboard borders and picot edges.
Four Mask Designs
Johann Leonhard Eisler, German, 1672 – 1733, 1720-25
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Four grotesque mascarons or mask designs featuring scrolling acanthus leaves, fleurons, flowers, and shells.
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, basket, a medallion, ribbons, and leafy branches. The plate is numbered.
Coastline near Bloxburgh, Jamaica
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, August 1865
Graphite and white gouache on gray wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of the rugged coastline near the hamlet of Bloxburgh, Jamaica. Mountain ridges slope from left to right while descending to the water's edge. In the middle distance at right, a shoreline with crashing waves is lightly rendered. Above, distant clouds are visible over the ocean.
Square with a Palace
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 18th century
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper, lined
Drawing

Large building in bare landscape; fountain on right and some carriages.
Trophy Designs
Pierre Ranson, French, 1736–1786, 1777–79
Etching on paper
Print

Six designs for trophies incorporating leaves, flowers, baskets, birds, bow, arrow, horn, lyre, flaming torch, sheet music, tambourine and a bagpipe or musette. The plate is numbered.
Title Page
François de Cuvilliés the Elder, Belgian, 1695 - 1768, 1731–68
Engraving on paper
Bound print

Title page of book of designs for portions of ceilings and for ceramic woodburning stoves. Decorative border along bottom and right edges. At lower right corner, a scene of putti figures fishing from shore, a waterbird below them. Within the frame at left, a farm scene depicting a woman and a cow. Along borders at bottom and right, groups of tools, styled as a trophy.
Trimming
, 18th century
silk, gilt strips Technique: woven

Pink and white trimming fragment of a floral ornament in red-orange silk arranged on a band between borders with gilt stripes and picot edges.
Design for Two Brooches Depicting a Man and Woman
, 16th century
Pen and ink, brush and sepia on paper
Drawing

Two designs for rectangular brooches with seated figures at top and pendant drop below.
LE MAITRE D'ARMES
Christophe Huet, French, 1695 – 1759, 1743
Etching on laid paper
Bound print

Plate 7 of a series of 23 prints featuring monkeys acting as humans in various figural scenes. Two monkey figures in gentleman's costume engaged in a fencing lesson, the monkey in the background demonstrating correct form by holding his student's arm in the correct position. The master wears a hat and also holds a scabbard. In the foreground, a sword and a pair of shoes.
Triumph of Caesar: The Corselet Bearers
Andrea Mantegna, Italian, ca. 1431 - 1506, ca. 1490
Engraving on laid paper
Print

A triumphal procession of Roman soldiers carrying trophies. The spoils, including armor, furniture, drinking vessels, and other objects made of precious metals are loaded onto stretchers, pole, and spears. The figures are depicted walking left-to-right, as on Roman and Greek architectural reliefs.
Design for a Brooch
, ca. 1790–1800
Pen and sepia ink, brush and gray watercolor on light green paper
Drawing

Jewelry design for a brooch. An eagle with spread wings, supporting with his beak a teardrop-shaped diamond, and in his claws a scroll with the inscription: LIBERTE EGALITE
Bonnet veil
, 19th century
silk Technique: machine made with lace trim

Veil of embroidered black net with a border of black Chantilly-type lace in a floral pattern on three sides and beading for ribbon on the fourth side.
Rainbows in a Thunderstorm, Part One
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, August 1868
Graphite on tan wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of a double rainbow over a flat plain near the alps in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. The flat, featureless plain is visible in the foreground, out of which two rainbows arch to the left. In the background, sharp mountain ridges stretch across the composition.

Verso: A continuation of the recto scene, this landscape sketch features a view of a bolt of lightning, at left, amid heavy rain and dark storm clouds visible upper right. A dark, shaded church is hastily rendered in the lower right corner.
Border
, early 19th century
linen Technique: bobbin lace, Mechlin style

Straight border of Mechlin lace with a design of small bud ornaments sprinkled over the field. Bottom border has detached flower and leaf motifs above a row of flowers.