This gouache drawing, made in the creation workshop of the Jouy factory, is part of models for engraving wooden boards which will be used to print them on canvas. Annotated "Ph. LeMeunier", it is probably from Louis-Philippe Lemeunnié, born in Jouy in 1778, a son of Pierre-Charles Lemeunnié, copper engraver of Swiss origin, poached in England to introduce and perfect printing to the copper plate, in 1774. Its composition is in keeping with the vogue for nesting patterns, used in the decorations of the palempores. These large hangings imported from India are characterized by a tree of life on a mound, the mound which symbolizes the earth, the shape of which is produced by interlocking decorations. The shape of the nests evokes that of the Egyptian palmettes, but this drawing is located before the current of Egyptomania which seized the decorative arts after 1798. The fashion for fans, screens and various nestings continued throughout the 19th century in the south of France for the caracos and petticoats stitched with Provencal costume. MAD Paris
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