Workshop of Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Design for Five Elements of a Deser, ca. 1778
Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper
9 1/2 × 13 1/8 in. (242 × 333 mm)
Museo Napoleonico, Rome
© Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali — Museo Napoleonico
This drawing conveys an idea of some of the architectural pieces that decorated the deser of the Bailli de Breteuil or possibly another similar table centerpiece. Valadier’s workshop, which produced a large number of such architectural reductions, was well known for its whimsical pieces.