Brackets, Caryatids and other Architectural Details (recto and verso)

Gilles-Marie Oppenord was the son of the cabinet maker Jean-Alexandre Oppenord who, during the latter part of his career, worked at the Louvre in the service of the French king as ‘Ébeniste du Roi’. After his first training, Gilles-Marie spent seven years in Italy where he studied the Baroque monuments built by his contemporaries and the great masters of previous generations. Collecting thoughts and inspiration on paper would prove to be a life-long exercise for him. Although not many of his executed buildings and interiors survive today, many drawings can be attributed to his hand. On this sheet he seems to have specifically collected architectural elements with a supporting function. Although the arrangement of the motifs on the sheet seems somewhat chaotic, the drawing has a very strong overall appeal. The publisher Gabriel Huquier (French, Orléans 1695–1772 Paris) must have recognized this appeal since he adopted the lay-out of this sheet (or left it unaltered) in several print series in the published ‘Oeuvre’ containing Oppenord’s designs for ornament and the interior.