La marchande d'amours
The title of this piece, which translates as "The Merchant of Love" or "The Cupid Seller," is based on the scene in one of the octagonal cartouches showing a woman selling winged cupids from a cage. In 1816, Lebas was asked by Émile Oberkampf, son of the factory founder Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, to produce several patterns for the firm. The Museum has two pieces resulting from that commission: "La Marchande d'Amours" and a pattern showing various historic sites in Paris. This exemplified a type of Neoclassical scenic textile popular during the first two decades of the nineteenth century in which a variety of motifs following a theme were isolated in decorative frames against a geometric patterned background. In contrast to eighteenth-century narrative designs, in which motifs float like islands on a white ground, these early nineteenth-century cottons form an overall decorative pattern unified by the geometric background.
Artwork Details
- Title: La marchande d'amours
- Manufactory: Oberkampf Manufactory (French, active 1760–1843)
- Designer: Louis Hippolyte Lebas (French, 1782–1867)
- Date: ca. 1816
- Culture: French, Jouy-en-Josas
- Medium: Cotton
- Dimensions: L. 90 x W. 99 inches (as one piece)
228.6 x 251.5 cm - Classification: Textiles-Printed
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1926
- Object Number: 26.238.9a–f
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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French, Nantes
1815–25
Oberkampf Manufactory
late 18th century
Oberkampf Manufactory
18th century
Oberkampf Manufactory
ca. 1785
Oberkampf Manufactory
18th century
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