Enfilade

Now on at the V&A:

The Curious Neoclassical Vision of Ennemond-Alexandre Petitot
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 25 March — 6 December 2015

Curated by Sarah Grant

Ennemond-Alexandre Petitot, Suite de Vases (1 of 30 designs), etching by Benigno Bossi, 1770s (London: V&A)

This display showcases 24 prints and drawings by French-born architect and designer, Ennemond-Alexandre Petitot (1727–1801) who was responsible for some of the most captivating and eccentric neoclassical ornamental designs ever produced.

Petitot received a classical training in Lyons, Paris and Rome and won the prestigious post of court architect to the Duke of Parma in 1753. He executed a diverse range of commissions for the ducal palace and other important interiors, bringing a distinctly French aesthetic to the architecture and gardens of Parma. In two famous suites of ornament prints published in the 1770s Petitot gave full reign to his imagination and ensured his legacy as one of the most original exponents of Neoclassicism. These prints and a number of Petitot’s drawings and works by other influential architects and designers form the focus of this display.