Description and Details
A magnificent, large-scale Sajou cross stitch chart inspired by the Toile du Jouy Museum at Jouy-en-Josas, which stands near the original factory owned by Christophe Oberkampf.
The chart is designed to be worked on off-white linen. The motif measures 345 x 342 points, giving a finished size of 57.5 x 57.5 cm. A working piece of at least 70 x 70 cm is recommended to allow a comfortable border. The printed chart itself measures 68 x 80 cm and is produced in matt finish so that notes and references can be written directly onto it.
At the top of the chart is a reproduction of the factory’s trademark — printed at each end of every length of fabric as required by Royal decree. The stamp shown dates from 1789–1792, the golden age of Oberkampf, who was sole owner of the factory at that time.
The production scenes are interpreted from a fabric printed at the factory in 1783, designed by Jean-Baptiste Huet (1745–1821), an exceptional painter and engraver with a longstanding relationship with the factory. The scenes depict the printing process using wooden planks, the maddering of fabric to produce the reds, the bleaching of cloth to remove excess dye, and the hand-painting of colours that could not be achieved through maddering. Oberkampf himself appears in the original design alongside his son and in collaboration with Huet.
At the foot of the chart are examples of other prints produced at the factory. Although Toile du Jouy is best known for its scenic prints, these accounted for only around 200 of the factory’s designs — more than 30,000 floral and geometric prints were also produced, including Mignonnettes (ditsy prints), botanical florals, and Les Indiennes: the chintzes originally imported from Persia, India and China, so popular with Europeans that they were widely copied despite various royal bans.
The reverse of the chart carries detailed embroidery instructions together with extensive historical and cultural notes on Toile du Jouy and its production.
This chart is also available as a complete kit in a gift box. Smaller individual charts and kits for each stage of production are also available in my shop, along with other embroidery designs inspired by the historical textile collections of France’s great châteaux and museums.
Supplied as an A1 chart in a decorative sleeve.
