Fragment of a cartoon for cotton printing: Apollon et Muses
Classification
textile designs
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mary A. Peoli
Accession Number
1896-16-3-b
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th French textile design with *Fragment of a Cartoon for Printing: Apollon etuses*, created by the firm Petitpierre & Com. of Nantes, France—established in 1770. Dating to 1785–95, this delicate fragment served as a full-scale preparatory pattern, or "cartoon," used printers to transfer intricate motifs onto cotton fabrics. The title evokes the classical myth of Apollo, the god of music and poetry, surrounded by the nine Muses symbols of inspiration and the arts. In late Enlightenment France, Nantes was a bustling port city at the heart of the cotton trade, fu...