Description and Details
A magnificent Sajou gift box containing a complete cross stitch kit inspired by the Toile du Jouy Museum at Jouy-en-Josas, which stands near the original factory owned by Christophe Oberkampf. An exceptional gift for any lover of French textile history and fine needlework.
The kit includes a large full-colour A1 chart with stitch interpretation guide, 36 cards of Retors du Nord embroidery thread, and 32-count linen embroidery fabric in the colours and sizes required to complete the design.
At the top of the chart is a reproduction of the factory’s ‘chef de pièce’ 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 design is intended 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. The printed chart measures 68 x 80 cm and is produced in matt finish so that notes can be written directly onto it. The reverse carries detailed embroidery instructions and extensive historical notes on Toile du Jouy and its production.
The chart is also available separately without the kit. You will find further charts and kits in my shop inspired by the historical textile collections of France’s great châteaux and museums.
