Art Institute of Chicago

Mise-en-Carte (Point-Paper)

Designed for Nicolas Guerin et Ce. (French, active 1760s–70s)

Date

1760s

Medium

Opaque watercolor with traces of graphite over an etching in black ink on cream laid paper

Culture

Lyon

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Designs for silk weaving were drawn by professional artists who had often trained in flower painting, a skill that could be deployed for the decoration of objects besides textiles. The designs were painted on the point paper grid, which then served as a guide to the person mounting the threads on the loom. The artists’ names do not appear on these technical drawings; only the companies that commissioned the designs and wove the silk are identified.

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