1736
graphite
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
An Ornament with Symbols is a 1736 graphite by Hubert François Gravelot, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a tangled mess of lines and shapes. It looks like a knot of vines or ropes, with a few small circles that might be flowers or leaves. The whole thing is drawn in gray on paper, with some lines scratched deeper to make it stand out. The drawing looks like a design for something decorative, maybe for metalwork or cloth. The lines are loose but careful, like someone practicing how to fill a space with patterns. If you like this style, look up Baroque next—it’s the art movement this sketch comes from.
Hubert-François Bourguignon, commonly known as Gravelot (26 March 1699 – 20 April 1773), was a French engraver, a famous book illustrator, designer and drawing-master.
See the richer artist page
![Sheet of Studies [recto and verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/af59e52d5279d768/thumb.webp)
![Sketch of a Sphinx [?] (verso)](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/01aae5545d384a57/thumb.webp)
