Monday, November 12, 2012

The Joy of Jouy


On my travels this weekend I discovered the most wonderful piece of antique Toile du Jouy.
Although much of it had been munched away by moths, enough of it remained to get me thinking about a new cushion project. The story of the Toile du Jouy began way back in 1760...

This well known style of fabric was developed by Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf in a town near Versailles called Jouy-en-Josas. He employed talented designers such as Huet to portray romantic figures in pastoral and often political scenes. Such was the quality of Oberkampfs prints that Napolean visited the factory and requested he bring some of his finest fabrics as gifts for ladies of the court. The prints became very popular and the style was adopted by many other factories during the early 19th Century although none truly matched the designs that were produced at Jouy.

It is the fine detail on the engraving of this piece that gives it such charm and sets it apart from the modern reproductions. It was probably a coverlet or curtain originally and dates from around 1835.




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