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Drawing, Elevation of Section of a Wall with Columns and Arch at Right

This is a Drawing. It was model maker: Adolph Bordeaux. It is dated April 16, 1886. Its medium is graphite, brush and watercolor, pen and brown ink on cream laid paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw’s generous gift of their collection of architectural models for staircases will be the subject of a forthcoming Cooper-Hewitt exhibition.
This is one of 10 meticulous staircase schematic drawings from the Thaw collection, presented as a gift to accompany the staircase models. The drawings are by Adolph Bordeaux, a journeyman of the compagnonnage movement doing his master tour in the 1880s.
Bordeaux’s rigorous training is evidenced by the accuracy and precision of these scale drawings. Initially, the journeyman candidate worked for five to seven years perfecting all aspects of the craft—in this case, the joinery associated with constructing spiral staircases—from the planning and drafting to the construction of the models. He would then continue his education with travel to various cities in France to study specific details from master craftsmen. This cycle of travel from city to city was known as Le Tour de France. In each city, the candidate would desig

This object was donated by Eugene V. Thaw and Clare E. Thaw. It is credited Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw.

Its dimensions are

Sheet: 43.3 x 57.6 cm (17 1/16 x 22 11/16 in.)

It is signed

Signed in black ink, lower right: Adolph Bordeaux / [monogram]

It is inscribed

Inscribed in black ink, upper left margin: Cutre colonne de l'ordre Toscan; upper right margin: Portique Toscan; lower right: Fait a Marseille / le 16 [a]bril 1886

Cite this object as

Drawing, Elevation of Section of a Wall with Columns and Arch at Right; Model maker: Adolph Bordeaux (French, active 1880–1890); France; graphite, brush and watercolor, pen and brown ink on cream laid paper; Sheet: 43.3 x 57.6 cm (17 1/16 x 22 11/16 in.); Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw; 2007-53-9

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18705671/ |title=Drawing, Elevation of Section of a Wall with Columns and Arch at Right |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>