{"product_id":"late-18th-century-french-whole-cloth-pique-quilt-indienne-face-with-mignonette-reverse-c-1775-1790","title":"Late 18th-Century French Whole-Cloth Piqué Quilt —  Indienne Face with Mignonette Reverse, c.1775–1790","description":"\u003cp\u003eA remarkable survival from the golden age of French printed textiles. This whole-cloth piqué quilt is reversible, presenting two distinct block-printed cotton faces: a finely detailed indienne botanical print on the quilt face, and a precise mignonette sprig print on the reverse, worked over a fine picotage stippled ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quilt face carries a small-scale, finely detailed indienne botanical print featuring asymmetrical branches and stylised floral heads, executed in the definitive manner of Jean-Baptiste Pillement, the French designer whose exotic, painterly compositions defined the aesthetic of the finest French indienneries of the period. The print is woodblock-printed and hand-finished with penciling, individually painted blue highlights applied by hand after printing, a technique that places this firmly within the finest tier of 18th-century French textile production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse is a pristine, beautifully precise mignonette block-print consisting of repeating geometric sprigs layered over a fine, hand-executed picotage (stippled dot) ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quilting employs two distinct treatments: a precise diamond crosshatch across the main body of the quilt, and fluid, serpentine hand-stitched lines to the border, a combination that gives the piece both geometric structure at its centre and a softer, more flowing frame at its edges. At each corner, the quilting forms a decorative motif worked through all layers of the fabric. Unusually, the four corners are not mirrored diagonally as would typically be expected; instead, the two left-hand corners carry heart motifs and the two right-hand corners carry floral motifs, giving the piece an intriguing asymmetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe deep madder reds and vibrant indigo blues are remarkably consistent and unfaded, confirming the use of high-grade 18th-century mordant techniques, iron acetate and alum, that have endured more than two centuries without browning or bleeding into the white ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether a genuine Toile de Jouy or a high-quality contemporary piece worked in that tradition, the print style and execution are consistent with French block printing at its finest. Not all workshop records from this period survive, and the distinction matters less than the quality, which is exceptional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition for age is outstanding. Some wear to the fabric consistent with 240+ years of existence, but structural integrity is excellent throughout. A pure, historically intact example, offered in original, unmanipulated condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions: 165 × 152 cm. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penelope Textiles Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57491900629372,"sku":"ANT-Q-001","price":2600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0777\/2884\/2001\/files\/IMG_8848.jpg?v=1790186655","url":"https:\/\/www.penelopetextiles.com\/products\/late-18th-century-french-whole-cloth-pique-quilt-indienne-face-with-mignonette-reverse-c-1775-1790","provider":"Penelope Textiles Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}