Chinoiserie in Pen and Ink I Pillow

This pen-and-ink chinoiserie design drawing reflects the eighteenth-century European practice of inventing fanciful 'Chinese' imagery on paper as preparatory or exhibition work related to the broader decorative arts trade. Such drawings, produced by designers working in the circle of artists like Jean-Baptiste Pillement, translated an imagined vision of China into pagodas, parasols, and whimsically dressed figures rendered in fluid pen line. They form an important counterpart to the woven and printed chinoiserie textiles that dominated European interiors of the period.

Jacquard-woven both sides in soft, durable yarn; insert included.