Jardin de Paris Blotted
The inspiration for this collection comes from the so-called ‘Savonnerie rugs’ made in France in the early 17th century. The reigning King Henry IV of Navarre was known as a patron and patron of the arts. During his reign, the first royal workshops were established, including a carpet factory that produced handcrafted items on behalf of the ruler. After his death, production moved to the site of a disused soap factory on the outskirts of Paris. It was to become an eponymous place: Soap Factory – Savonnerie in French was its original name and it wasn’t long before the carpets made there were called ‘Savonnerie’. The exquisite, hand-knotted rugs soon became a status symbol across Europe and weaving workshops quickly sprang up across the continent – from Vienna to Bonn and from Mannheim to Madrid. In the Baroque period, under Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, art, like so many other things, was taken to extremes. This period also saw the heyday of “Savonnerie carpets”. The staterooms in the Louvre and later in Versailles were lavishly furnished and served as models for royal courts throughout Europe. JAN KATH is now continuing this story in the “Savonnerie Surprise” collection. He reinterprets the old patterns and designs and thus creates a new tradition.