Louis XV Savonnerie Carpet with Royal Arms (c. 1740–50): Art, History and Details

Louis XV Savonnerie Carpet with Royal Arms (c. 1740–50) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Royal Savonnerie Manufactory, Chaillot Workshops (French, est. 1627); Pierre Josse Perrot (French).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This spectacular carpet, one of three with this royal pattern, was originally designed for Louis XV’s dining room at chateau La Muette by the prominent Savonnerie artist Pierre-Josse Perrot in 1735. The royal arms of France on the orb are topped by a crown with eagle’s wings. Cornucopia issue from corner pieces that alternate with military trophies. The lively artistic style was simplified for faster weaving and a brown ground was used to heighten the brilliant colors.The Savonnerie factory was founded in the early 1600s to create French versions of Oriental carpets, whose import had created a drain on the economy. The technique, copying Turkish carpets, has wool pile formed with symmetrical rug-knots, wool warps, and hemp wefts.

Object facts

• Title: Louis XV Savonnerie Carpet with Royal Arms
• Date: c. 1740–50
• Creator attribution: Royal Savonnerie Manufactory, Chaillot Workshops (French, est. 1627); Pierre Josse Perrot (French)
• Culture: France
• Type: Carpet
• Technique: Savonnerie knotted pile (symmetrical ruf knot), wool, hemp
• Dimensions: Overall: 546 x 615.6 cm (214 15/16 x 242 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1950.8

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.