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Open 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

The Grammar of Ornament

published 1856

Owen Jones (author) with Francis Bedford (lithographer)

Associated Names

Owen Jones

Author, British, 1809 - 1874

Francis Bedford

Lithographer, British, 1816 - 1894

This is a print of several different decorative motifs and ornamental designs on vertical and horizontal rectangular panels of different colors. Each panel contains unique combinations of swirling vines, floral elements, and symmetrical shapes in colors such as red, blue, green, and yellow. Some of these designs are on beige backgrounds, while some are on red or black backgrounds. The designs include stylized fruit, scrollwork, and stylized animals like a lion and a horse. At the very top are the words "GRAMMAR OF ORNAMENT" on the beige paper.

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Artwork overview

Medium

bound volume with 100 chromolithographic plates
Credit Line

Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection
Dimensions

page size: 55.7 x 36.9 cm (21 15/16 x 14 1/2 in.)
Accession Number

1997.109.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

T.C.L. Sparkes, England; Percy B. Tubbs; Christopher Tower; purchased 1997 by NGA.

Associated Names

Sims, Reed & Fogg Ltd.

Exhibition History

2000

Art Nouveau, 1890-1914, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2000-2001, no. 39, as The Grammar of Ornament, London.

2022

Sargent and Spain, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, 2022-2023.

Bibliography

2000

Art Nouveau, 1890-1914. Exh. cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Gallery of Art, Washington; Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. London, 2000: no. 39.

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