Imperial Post Office, Teschen, Austria (Elevation)
Otto Schönthal
Austrian, 1878–1961
1906
An elevation drawing of Otto Schönthal’s 1906 design for the Imperial Post Office in Teschen, rendered in pencil, ink, colored pencil, and gouache to present the building’s formal façade and proportions.
What strikes you first is the drawing’s meticulous linear precision: tall, repeated vertical bays and patterned masonry create a disciplined yet decorative façade, punctuated by a tiny human figure for scale and a delicate rooftop ornament that crowns the composition.
The work documents a turn-of-the-century moment when Central European architects combined measured, rational planning with geometric ornament, helping shift civic architecture away from historicist eclecticism toward a more ordered, modern expression.
Medium
Pencil, ink, colored pencil, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
11 5/8 x 14 1/8" (29.6 x 35.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Accession
6.1997
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
