This paper presents a new architecture of a database management system intended to be used together with existing graphics software. In the first place, a system with this architecture shall be capable of coping with the large variety of data representations typically found in the graphics domain. Data is stored in its original form, without prior conversions, thus conserving the maximum information content. A special typing model separating semantics from implementation ensures type safeness and at the same time provides the flexibility and extensibility needed to cope with multiple data representations. Secondly, software components enable seamless integration of existing graphics operations offered by various software packages. The components together with a composition mechanism act as the data manipulation language of the architecture. The architecture presented has been implemented in a prototype system called GSCOPE.