Not currently on display at the V&A

Carpet

1925-1927 (designed and made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This hand-knotted wool carpet is representative of French Art Deco, with its vibrant, abstracted floral design. It would have been sold through the 'La Maîtrise' interior decoration department of La Galeries Lafayette, a famous department store in Paris.

In the 1920s Suzanne Guiguichon worked at 'La Maîtrise' under the direction of Maurice Dufrène. She designed furniture, clocks, lighting, fabrics, rugs, and accessories, usually anonymously, although she has signed this carpet with her initials.

The design of the carpet is more in the style of Dufrène than the style normally associated with Guiguichon. After 1930, when she set up her own interior design studio in the rue de Clichy, Paris, Suzanne Guiguichon developed her personal style. Her designs would become starker and more attuned to Modernist simplicity and understatement.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Hand knotted wool
Brief description
Carpet of hand knotted wool, designed by Suzanne Guiguichon for La Maîtrise, retailed by Galeries Lafayette, Paris, 1925-1927
Physical description
Carpet of hand knotted wool with large scale floral design in pinks and mauves with contrasting neutrals.
Dimensions
  • Length: 304.5cm
  • Width: 152cm
  • Length: 117.5in
  • Width: 118in
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'SG' (Woven in left hand corner)
Summary
This hand-knotted wool carpet is representative of French Art Deco, with its vibrant, abstracted floral design. It would have been sold through the 'La Maîtrise' interior decoration department of La Galeries Lafayette, a famous department store in Paris.

In the 1920s Suzanne Guiguichon worked at 'La Maîtrise' under the direction of Maurice Dufrène. She designed furniture, clocks, lighting, fabrics, rugs, and accessories, usually anonymously, although she has signed this carpet with her initials.

The design of the carpet is more in the style of Dufrène than the style normally associated with Guiguichon. After 1930, when she set up her own interior design studio in the rue de Clichy, Paris, Suzanne Guiguichon developed her personal style. Her designs would become starker and more attuned to Modernist simplicity and understatement.
Bibliographic references
  • Samuels, Charlotte. Art Deco Textiles. London : V&A Publications, 2003. Plate 29.
  • Day, Susan. Art Deco and Modernist Carpets. London : Thames & Hudson, 2002. Fig 55.
Collection
Accession number
T.393-1977

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Record createdAugust 14, 2002
Record URL
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