n the Autumn of 1993, as he turned fifteen years old and only a sophomore in high school, Shane Kindschi began work on a pencil drawing of the front facade of America’s largest home. It would be acclaimed as “the best” and “most accurate and detailed drawing in existence of Biltmore House”, as described by Biltmore Estate’s curatorial staff.


ttook more than three hundred photographs and countless visits to Biltmore Estate to obtain the documentation needed for such an endeavor. Over one thousand hours were spent during the eighteen month drawing process, which took an average of five hours per square inch. To achieve the phenomenal amount of detail, Shane used a jeweler’s loupe and drafting pencils so sharp that they actually cut into the paper.
  


Detail of Biltmore House ©1995 Shane Kindschi
 


An example of the incredible level of detail of Shane's drawing of Biltmore House
©1995 Shane Kindschi
  
  

n July of 1995, at the age of sixteen, Shane Kindschi sat in the courtyard at Biltmore House and completed the master work of art. The two lions guarding the front door of Biltmore House were drawn last, just before the work was signed. For Biltmore Estate’s Centennial, Shane presented his drawing to William A. V. Cecil, Biltmore’s owner, who permanently instated it into the Biltmore Estate Archives, where it has been kept since.

nitally released in 1998, Shane’s prints have been circulated
to all 50 states and over 70 countries, and has received
international acclaim. In 2000, Shane specially signed over
100 prints for the cast and crew of “Hannibal”, which was
partially filmed at Biltmore Estate. The print is used in
homes and classrooms around the world to inspire young
artists to draw.