Antique Textile Design on Paper

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Description

19th c. French hand-painted gouache on paper textile design. These patterns were for jacquard woven fabrics and are sometimes called … Read more 19th c. French hand-painted gouache on paper textile design. These patterns were for jacquard woven fabrics and are sometimes called "check papers" for the tiny grid printed on the paper used. One of a kind item on heavy linen rag paper. The detail in the designs and the workmanship is remarkable. From the archives of a 19th c. textile manufacturer in Roubaix, France. Many have notes on the back with date, the client the design was made for, weaves and dyes.

I bought the archive in France in 1995 and shipped it back in a crate. I sold some of the designs to textile archives in the US, then stored the rest in my attic for the past 31 years.

Many are complete patterns but not all. Some of the patterns repeat on a standard staggered design, while others are very tricky, using a mirror-image reverse. Often this latter type is indicated with an arrow inked in on the margin.

The papers are old, ranging from 1870 to 1930, and a number have small tears at the edges. We take the time to repair these with a fine linen tape that is neutral PH, ensuring that the design is not harmed. Any larger repairs to a tear or a small loss is noted below.

Image size is: 17" x 17"

Condition: very good

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