Design for a Small Wooden Bookcase in the Art Nouveau Style

Design for a small wooden bookcase in the French Art Nouveau style. The bookcase has open shelves at top, and a section with glazed doors below that can also be locked. The bookcase is presented at angle, against a wall with blue wallpaper. This drawings is part of a group of designs attributed to two prominent designers of the late 19th and early 20th century: Edward Colonna and Georges de Feure. The designs are executed in graphite and finished with watercolor. The furniture designs are represented in an interior setting or drawn against a blank background. All furniture pieces are meant to be made out of wood and range from small tables, cabinets and display cases, to buffets and servers, a wardrobe, a vanity table, a bench and a chair. The high degree of finish of the drawings suggest that they were used for presentation to clients, or possibly served as the model for lithographic illustrations. The Museum has several furniture pieces by both artists that closely relate to the present group of drawings, the design for a small side table by Colonna, in particular, show great similarities.