objet d'art
3
9.9
- noun
- /ˌɑːbʒeɪ dɑːr/
:
objeto de arte
- She carefully arranged each objet d'art on the shelf to highlight its unique design.
Examples
-
When she reached full stride, the objets d'art and the antique furniture artfully arranged throughout the interior rattled or wavered.
Fiction book (1999) -
Certainly, to Blunt, each item was in its way an objet d'art.
Fiction book (1998) -
Both of them are posing with small objets d'art.
Fiction book (1994) -
They move to the next objet d'art.
Fiction book (2001) -
Think of objets d'art so rare they are only rumored to exist, the stuff of legend.
Fiction book (1994) -
What about the duty to preserve and protect some of the most interesting objets d'art of the early twentieth century for generations to come?
Fiction book (1999) -
She stopped at this end table or that vitrine and inspected the objets d'art.
Fiction book (1999) -
His posture and presence declare his confidence and authority, expressed via his carefully arranged private collections of priced furnishings and objets d'art.
Academic text (2009) -
The shop displayed diverse objets d'art imported from India, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, and other Swahili coast cities.
Academic text (2009) -
The glassware and furniture on display aren't simply objets d'art from ancient times, but everyday objects I could visualize in the house I had just visited.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
∞
3.0
A creative work such as a song, painting or article
86
3.5
An object like a painting or sculpture that people think is beautiful and made with skill
81
3.0
A painting or sculpture that shows an artist's idea
4
9.2
A small decorative item shown for its beauty
3
4.2
A thing like a painting or sculpture that people value for its beauty
1
3.9
A work that shows skill and feeling, like a painting or sculpture
Objects made mainly to be shown as art, not for everyday use
How Artistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
objet + d'art
The phrase literally means 'object of art' and its sense is directly compositional from the constituents (object/objet + of/art). Although it is a French borrowing (d'art = 'of art') and may be less familiar as a foreign-derived phrase, a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can readily infer that it denotes a small decorative work of art.
Etymology
The noun objet d'art comes from French and is made of the words objet meaning 'object' and art meaning 'art'. People used it for small, pretty items like little statues or decorations, so today it means 'a small decorative work of art'.