Architect's Eye | Collection Highlights | Collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Two richly decorated base sections over a dado. Their decorations include lions rampant and fleur de lys. The main section has a triangular pediment and contains an inscription tablet under the portrait bust of a member of the clergy. Laterally are more inscription tablets. A broken pediment with an escutcheon in the center, on top corner.

Drawing, Design for a sepulchral wall monument, ca. 1600–30
pen and brown ink with blue wash on vellum.
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council.
1911-28-115

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Drawing, Main and side elevations of the right wing of a house for Monsieur Gédéon Mallet in Geneva

Drawing, Main and side elevations of the right wing of a house for Monsieur...
pencil, pen and ink, watercolor on paper.
1911-28-392

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Drawing, Front elevation of the house of Mr. Gédéon Mallet in Geneva

Drawing, Front elevation of the house of Mr. Gédéon Mallet in Geneva
pencil, pen and ink, watercolor on paper.
1911-28-394

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Drawing, Design for a Monument Commemorating Systematization of Weights and Measures in France

Drawing, Design for a Monument Commemorating Systematization of Weights and...
pen and black ink, brush and gray, red and blue wash on paper, joined at center.
1911-28-461

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Drawing, Temple of Curiosity

Drawing, Temple of Curiosity
pen and black ink, brush and brown wash, blue watercolor, graphite on....
1911-28-463

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

In this architectural fantasy, an arched bridge ornamented with a sculptural monument transitions into a grandiose palace, to the left. The palace, viewed from an oblique angle, has twin porticos. In the background, a domed and colonnaded building is visible in the distance. Through the arch of the bridge appear steps, another monument, and number small-scale figures.

Drawing, Architectural Fantasy: Bridge and Monuments, 1745–50
brush and gray brown wash, over black chalk on paper.
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council.
1911-28-511

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

View of an arch spanning a canal. The facade of a house is shown in the left foreground, a public building with arcades in the right foreground, a classical theater in the precinct of a villa on a hill in the distance, to the right. The supports of the arch are decorated with statues, reliefs, and inscriptions in wreaths. Ornaments, only partly shown, and inscriptions, those in the arch's main band being legible.

Drawing, Entrance to the Navy Arsenal in Toulon, 1799–1800
pen and black ink, brush and gray, brown, and rose watercolors, graphite on....
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
1931-64-287

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 4 images of this object.

Perspective rendering of the crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, during the course of erection, with indication of the outlines of the lower portion of the tower, according to La Farge’s plans.

Drawing, Rendering of the Crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine,...
brush and watercolor, pen and black ink, color chalk, graphite on brown paper.
Gift of Spencer Bickerton.
1936-7-17

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Various working sketches scattered over page. Floor plans at center and lower left; one elevation at center, left; two exterior aerial perspectives above, two exterior aerial perspectives below, plus additional notations.

Drawing, First Studies for the Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, France, 1926
graphite on white paperboard, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-1

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Four drawings for Villa Stein-de Monzie, at Garches, France: facade elevation view at upper left, rear elevation view at upper right, facade aerial perspective at center, left, rear aerial perspective at lower right.

Drawing, First Studies, Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, France, 1926
graphite on white paperboard, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-2

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Vertical drawing of a view of Lake Geneva. Terrace in the foreground.

Drawing, Still Life with View of Lake Geneva, 1926
graphite on white wove paper, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-3

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Preliminary layout sketches for painting(?), six uncolored sketches on upper two-thirds, and two colored on lower third. All feature accordian details, and possible bottle/tea kettle/percolator forms, among other shapes.

Drawing, Studies for a Still Life, 1926
graphite, crayon on white wove paper, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-4

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Four floor plans with manuscript notations for the Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, France.

Drawing, Four Floor Plans, Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, France, 1926
graphite on white wove paper, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-5

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Two early concept drawings for villa, in perspective, of two levels of interior with mezzanine, one view from above, one view from below opening to upper level. Ground floor with partial stair showing at left, enclosed stairs at center, rear, mezzanine center rear and right, strip windows on upper level, left and right. Upper level showing mezzanine with stairs leading down at far right, strip windows at left and right, and walls to outside terrace on left, adjacent to mezzanine walkway.

Drawing, Two Studies of the Interior, Villa Stein-de Monzie, Garches, France,...
pen and brown ink, graphite on cardboard, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-6

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Vertical drawing of a Moorish pottery vase, with large wing handles and figures of a horse and a man.

Drawing, Drawing after a Serbian Vase, 1926
graphite, red-brown crayon on white wove paper, mounted on canvas.
Museum purchase from James B. Ford and Peter Cooper Hewitt Estate Funds.
1936-60-7

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Perspective rendering of four-story house of William E. Lescaze. Office with glass block on ground floor. Rounded-edge canopy over stairwell with curved banister at left, leading to residence above. Second floor with horizontal row of windows that curve at left edge. Third floor with glass block and two casement windows. Fourth floor all glass block. Building projects in front of existing, flanking architecture. Rendering includes two figures at lower right.

Print, Townhouse, 211 East 48th Street, New York, NY: Perspective Rendering,...
photostat on paper.
Gift of William E. Lescaze.
1937-37-3

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Perspective drawing and plan of Heinz chapel with octagonal outline. Artist's initials near center of page. On verso, typewritten names in four columns. Drawing mounted on cardboard with donor's notes on verso.

Drawing, Design for Heinz Chapel, University of Pittsburg, early 20th century
brown, red crayon on white paper mounted on cardboard.
Gift of Henry O. Milliken.
1937-51-2

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Drawing depicts two skyscrapers in lower Manhattan.

Drawing, Sketches of New York Skyscrapers, ca. 1915
graphite, red crayon on tracing paper.
Gift of Henry O. Milliken.
1937-51-4

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Architectural drawing for the Teatro Filarmonico. Lower right side of drawing details seating section of theater. Upper right side details ceiling decoration. Lower left side depicts left side of the stage. Each design is noted with letters and accompanied by a description in Italian.

Drawing, Teatro Filarmonico, Accademia Filarmonica, Verona, Italy: Section...
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, black chalk on white laid paper.
Bequest of Erskine Hewitt.
1938-57-1443

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Photostatic reproduction of a perspective drawing, showing a building in modified "T" shape, the bar of the letter toward foreground and three stories high with continuous bands of windows; the stem of the "T" four stories high with lower buildings for workshops and laboratories at one side of its end. Photographs of two smaller-scale plans affixed, lower right corner.

Print, Design for a Professional School, Hagen, Westphalia, Germany, 1929
photostat with hand additions.
Gift of Walter Gropius.
1938-68-1

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Workmen constructing arcades, possibly for a theater set. Workmen on scaffolding around arcades are occupied with masonry, sculpturing and the pulling up of a huge stone with a winch. Domes building in background. Some figures are in Turkish dress.

Drawing, Workmen building arcades, ca. 1740
pen and bistre and gray wash on paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-52

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Horizontal rectangle. Two different drawings on one sheet showing interiors of palace courts and passages.

Drawing, Stage Designs, Views into Palace Courts, ca. 1820
pen and bistre ink, brush and sepia wash on paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-230

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Above the door frame is a half circle with a trophy of arms of Cardinal Albani. Above the straight entablature of the door-case, in the center, is a vase with dolphins beside it and garlands hanging cross-like from the backs of crouching sphinxes. A prior suggestion has been erased. The entablature is richly decorated and subdivided horizontally by consoles with ram's heads. In the frieze, in the place of triglyphs, alternate a female herma and two figures beside a candelabrum. Above, a wall of a pointed vault into which is inscribed a half circle with a shell on top and a mask at the point. In the lunette, the star and the threemount of the Albani appear upon a pedestal in front of a shell, in the center of a broken pediment on the cornices of which sit satyrs with palm branches. In the door, a lady with a fan, a gentleman–with his left hand outstretched and carrying a walking stick–and a dog appear.

Drawing, Design for the East Portal, Grand Gallery, Villa Albani, Rome,...
pen and brown ink, brush and brown, gray wash, graphite on cream laid paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-486

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Shown is the elevation of a two-story villa, laterally connected by gateways with five-story houses of the same height; their corners are shown; the gateways are decorated with draperies, burning candles and garlands. The ground floor of the villa projects laterally; allegorical figural representations of "Religion", or "Church" and "Faith" are shown; the attic shows the coat of arms of the Pope, the attributes of his office, and urns containing fires; the coach with the Pope approaches from right; at left is a troupe of soldiers; framing lines below. Figures, carriages, and horses in foreground.

Drawing, Cardinal Pamphili Villa, Facade Decorated for a Visit of Pope...
pen and black ink, brush and gray, pink wash, graphite on white laid paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-896

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Drawing, Palazzo dei Conservatori,, 1575–1600

Drawing, Palazzo dei Conservatori,, 1575–1600
pen and brown ink, brown wash, black chalk support: white laid paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1037

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

In the central part above the mensa is a sepulchre with the body of a Saint. In front of the second story of the retable is a reliquary box with a cherub between two cornices turned outside on top. Above is a triangular pediment with two obelisks and a cross. In the panels beside the mensa are two "A"s. At right is the left part of a door, below the scale.

Drawing, Project for an Altar, ca. 1575
pen and brown ink support: off-white laid paper on secondary paper support.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1040

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Large building in bare landscape; fountain on right and some carriages.

Drawing, Square with a Palace, 18th century
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper, lined.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1092

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Large classical style palace in bare landscape; fountain on right, obelisk on left, and some carriages with figures in the foreground.

Drawing, Design for a Square with a Palace, 18th century
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper, lined.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1093

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

The approach to the church at center is flanked by pairs of pyramids connected by walls, each of them containing three niches with cinerary urns. Similar walls below the lower lateral parts of the facade of the church. A portico with six Doric columns stands in front of the main structure. The plan of the church is octagonal. Steps lead to a circular colonnade from which the dome rises. The front of the Church is inscribed: "DIVI. S. GIORGVS." "ISP" continues the inscription to the right. Steps lead to the church. In the foreground at the foot of the steps are four altars.

Drawing, Atrium of a Church to be Dedicated to St. George, 18th century
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, graphite on off-white laid paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1135

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

Drawing, Design for a Royal Palace

Drawing, Design for a Royal Palace
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, red ink.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1232

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Sheet of architectural sketches, including stage designs. One side, below: a market place. Center: a polygonal room with a cupola. Above, in opposite direction: the stage is bordered by the outskirts of a fortified town. Other side, below at left: a gate as a sidewing. At right: a hall with a monument at its center. Center, in opposite direction: interior of a fortress with stairs leading to a tower bridge. Below, at right, a plan.

Drawing, Sheet of architectural sketches, ca. 1800–20
pen and bistre ink on gray-brown paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-1670

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

The small barriers of a monumental gateway are opened. It has the shape of a colonnade with a higher vaulted central part, and with two lower, straight, covered lateral parts. In front of the latter stand statues of angels; the left one is carrying a cross and another objecy; the right one is carrying possibly a trumpet. View through the central part, at a vestibule with stairs, leading up to a gallery which is closed at the back by a barrier.

Drawing, Stage design, a garden loggia, ca. 1700–14
pen and ink, brush and gray watercolor on paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-2275

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Three bays. Arched gateway with an aedicula frame in the center. Laterally are similar lower gateways with rows of niches. Alternative suggestions are made for details

Drawing, Design for a stage backdrop with alternative suggestions, ca. 1580
pen and bistre ink on buff wove paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-2501

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Figure of an artist painting on canvas in a pavilion with a high dado, which is decorated with escutcheons with winged skulls. A pair of mermen holding candles flank the flight of stairs.

Drawing, Catafalque of the Bolgonese Artist Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665), 1665
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, red chalk on off-white laid paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-2503

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 2 images of this object.

View from below of a colonnade, having a niche in the middle. On top of the lateral parts is an entablature; on top of the central one is a circular pediment. The plan of the architecture is shown in the right half. Framing black stripe, except above. Verso: Some geometrical perspective drawings in red and black crayon.

Drawing, Architectural detail, 1685–1700
pencil, pen and bistre ink, brush and brown wash, gray water colors.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-2599

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Design for proposed additions to an octagonal church. The structures project from the choir of a church, the choir being three sides of an octagon in the plan. The plans of each structure are halves of hexagons. The elevations show sockles, orders of imbedded Doric columns containing niches and being triangular pediments, balustrades from which obelisks rise in the lateral structure, upon which statues stand, in the center. Segments of lanterns and domes form the top parts, the central one being much higher and more elaborate than the lateral ones.

Drawing, Proposed Additions to an Octagonal Church, 1573
pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, black chalk on paper.
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund.
1938-88-2648

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.