Artwork

Flower Embroidery Design for Silk Manufactory of Lyon

Flower Embroidery Design for Silk Manufactory of Lyon, by Jean Pillement, 1790
Flower Embroidery Design for Silk Manufactory of Lyon, by Jean Pillement, 1790

Flower Embroidery Design for Silk Manufactory of Lyon is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Jean Pillement. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This drawing features a floral design intended for use by the silk manufactory in Lyon, a city with a long tradition in this industry.

About this work

Pillement made these designs for Lyon’s silk factories, where workers turned his chalk lines into fabric.

You see a delicate drawing of flowers and leaves arranged in a repeating pattern.

This wasn’t just art—it was a blueprint. Pillement made these designs for Lyon’s silk factories, where workers turned his chalk lines into fabric. The same patterns later appeared in prints, spreading his style across Europe. The flowers look simple, but they’re built to be copied again and again.

If you like this, look up more designs from *France, 18th century*.

Overview

This drawing features a floral design intended for use by the silk manufactory in Lyon, a city with a long tradition in this industry. Jean Baptiste Pillement’s chalk drawings were translated not only into fabric, but also prints, which circulated and spread his style widely. Here, he used a small range of colors and repeated forms to create an appealing decorative motif.

Did you know?

Jean Baptiste Pillement not only created designs for silk manufacture, he also is credited with inventing a new technique for printing on fabric.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Jean Pillement

Artist

Jean Pillement

Jean-Baptiste Pillement (24 May 1728 – 26 April 1808) was a French painter and designer, known for his exquisite and delicate landscapes, but whose importance lies primarily in the engravings done after his drawings,…

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.