"The Elements"
Medium
Cotton
Dimensions
L. 102 x W. 57 1/2 inches 259.1 x 146.1 cm
Classification
Textiles-Printed
Culture
French, Jouy-en-Josas
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Sloane Coffin, 1928
Accession Number
28.153.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
"The Elements," a stunning printed cotton panel from around 1792, exemplifies the artistry of the Oberkampf Manactory in Jouy-en-Josas, France in collaboration with designer Jean-Baptiste Huet I Measuring over 8 feet long, this textile showcases the manufactory's mastery of copperplate printing, a technique that allowed for intricate, multi-color designs on cotton fabric. Huet's pastoral style, blending Rococo elegance with neoclassical clarity, animates the scene with human figures likely personifying Earth, Air, Fire, and Water—the classical elements central to Enlightenment thought. Produc...