Mise-en-carte (Point-paper) 1760 - 1790

This textile design, or ‘mise-en-carte’, by an artist named Veret, is rendered in gouache and graphite on laid paper. You can see the grid used as a guide for the design, each square corresponding to a stitch in the woven fabric. This “point paper” was essentially a codified pattern, intended for use on a loom. The repeating pattern of flowers, wheat, and grapes is typical of textile design, and reveals the close relationship between art, craft, and industry. The process of textile production involved highly skilled labor and specialized machinery. A design like this would have gone through multiple stages of reproduction, from the artist’s sketch to the woven fabric. This particular point paper shows the amount of work involved in the production process, and the intersection of design, labor, and technology in textile manufacturing. By focusing on the materials, making, and context of this artwork, we can better understand its full meaning, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.