The Attributes
Furnishing Fabric
early 19th century (made)
early 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This cotton was printed at the factory established in 1760 by Christopher-Philippe Oberkampf (1738-1815) at Jouy-en-Josas, a village propitiously situated between Paris and Versailles, the main residences of the French court. Louis XV recognised the factory's importance in 1783 when he named it a Royal Manufactory.
Oberkampf began using the copper-plate printing process in 1770 and roller printing in 1797. The length of the repeat of the pattern was restricted by the size of the plate or the circumference of the roller. The pattern repeat on this print is accordingly short. The neoclassical motifs are typical of fashions of the last two decades of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century. Pattern designers took their imagery from classical sculpture, bas-reliefs, and vases. Many of these motifs had come to light as a result of archaeological excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii in the mid 18th century. Medallions, swags, festoons, mythological beasts and trophies of war were frequently used. In the first decade of the 19th century, the last emphasised the military might of Napoleon's army and empire.
Oberkampf began using the copper-plate printing process in 1770 and roller printing in 1797. The length of the repeat of the pattern was restricted by the size of the plate or the circumference of the roller. The pattern repeat on this print is accordingly short. The neoclassical motifs are typical of fashions of the last two decades of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century. Pattern designers took their imagery from classical sculpture, bas-reliefs, and vases. Many of these motifs had come to light as a result of archaeological excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii in the mid 18th century. Medallions, swags, festoons, mythological beasts and trophies of war were frequently used. In the first decade of the 19th century, the last emphasised the military might of Napoleon's army and empire.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Attributes (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Roller printed cotton |
| Brief description | roller printed cotton, French; early 19th century; Oberkampf at Jouy-en-Josas. Monochrome, printed with classical trophies, cornucopiae, hourglasses, and baskets of fruit and flowers |
| Physical description | Roller printed printed cotton, red (probably madder) on white ground. The pattern comprises a series of diamond shaped lozenges made up of bunches of laurel leaves tied up with ribbons and rosette. In each lozenge is printed a different motif: trophies, artists' implements, cornucopiae, winged hourglasses, vases and baskets of fruit and flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | One of the pieces of printed cotton purchased from Madame Mayoux, a Parisian gallery owner and collector, in 1919. |
| Historical context | The V&A collection of French printed cottons dating to 1760-1830 comprises more than 500 textile fragments. Over 300 pattern books contain 300,000 designs of French printed cottons from the 18th to 20th centuries. These collections were largely shaped by acquisitions from three sources: Dr Robert Forrer, a Swiss-born archaeologist and antiques dealer (V&A acquisition in 1899), Madame Mayoux, a Parisian gallery owner and collector (V&A acquisitions in 1919) and Sara Lee Courtaulds (donation of Courtaulds' archive of pattern books, including eight from Oberkampf's factory at Jouy, in 2000). Other examples have been acquired by textile curators. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This cotton was printed at the factory established in 1760 by Christopher-Philippe Oberkampf (1738-1815) at Jouy-en-Josas, a village propitiously situated between Paris and Versailles, the main residences of the French court. Louis XV recognised the factory's importance in 1783 when he named it a Royal Manufactory. Oberkampf began using the copper-plate printing process in 1770 and roller printing in 1797. The length of the repeat of the pattern was restricted by the size of the plate or the circumference of the roller. The pattern repeat on this print is accordingly short. The neoclassical motifs are typical of fashions of the last two decades of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century. Pattern designers took their imagery from classical sculpture, bas-reliefs, and vases. Many of these motifs had come to light as a result of archaeological excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii in the mid 18th century. Medallions, swags, festoons, mythological beasts and trophies of war were frequently used. In the first decade of the 19th century, the last emphasised the military might of Napoleon's army and empire. |
| Bibliographic reference | Sarah Grant, Toiles de Jouy. French Printed Cottons, V&A Publishing, 2010, p. 61, Fig. 29. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.327-1919 |
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| Record created | June 6, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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