Pierre de La Mésangère

Pierre de La Mésangère was active between 1802 and 1820, during the height of early nineteenth-century European design and publishing. While specific details regarding his nationality and personal life are sparse in existing documentation, his verifiable output focuses exclusively on architectural and decorative arts publishing.

La Mésangère is known for compiling influential reference works dedicated to interior furnishings and objets de goût. Key among his documented works are the multi-volume Collection de Meubles et Objets de Goût and Meubles et Objets de Goût. These publications functioned as primary visual references for designers, architects, and wealthy patrons seeking the latest trends in furniture and decorative arts. The collections feature detailed plates, such as the Design for a Commode and Console (Plate 10), providing precise documentation of the prevailing Neoclassical and emerging Empire styles.

Currently, six of his publication volumes and related design plates are represented in major museum collections. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds several of these works, establishing his critical importance in the history of design documentation. Due to the age and nature of his published volumes, much of the original work is now in the public domain. These detailed early nineteenth-century prints documenting furniture and design are often sought after as downloadable artwork for scholarly study. Today, high-quality prints and reproductions of the detailed plates from Collection de Meubles et Objets de Goût remain valuable resources for understanding the aesthetic criteria of the Napoleonic era.