From the exhibition
Architectural Details at Blois
Arnold William Brunner, American, 1857–1925 · 1883

American architect Arnold William Brunner sketched ornamental details from the Château de Blois during European study travels. The drawing captures Renaissance architectural elements—foliate scrollwork, decorative cornices, and sculptural moldings—rendered with precise cross-hatching and fluid pen work. Such study sketches were essential practice for architects of the Gilded Age, who synthesized European precedent into American design. Brunner's rapid notation technique records both structural logic and surface ornament, reflecting the academic training that shaped late-nineteenth-century architectural practice.
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