La Route de Jouy (The Route to Jouy) (Furnishing Fabric) 1815

Horace Vernet created this furnishing fabric, "La Route de Jouy," printed in monochrome, likely during the early 19th century. The textile presents scenes of the countryside and hunting. The visual structure is dominated by a tightly-knit diamond lattice overlaid with rural vignettes. These scenes, rendered in shades of brown, create a dense composition that suggests a patterned rhythm rather than a narrative sequence. Vernet manipulates the traditional landscape genre, fragmenting it across the fabric. This treatment undermines the coherence of space, as the landscape motifs are subordinated to the overall decorative scheme. Such patterning, while seemingly innocuous, engages with a broader discourse around representation. The use of repetition and the flattening of depth invite a semiotic interpretation, where each image functions as a sign within a larger system. The work prompts us to reconsider how art can both depict and destabilize established modes of seeing.