This and the following ten lots are studies for toile de jouy by Madame Peigné, one of the designers for the Oberkampf factory at Jouy, near Versailles. In 1758, Christoph-Philipp Oberkampf was invited to leave his native Switzerland, and two years later he established the factory at Jouy. The first material was produced in May 1760, and eighteen months later some 3600 lengths had been printed. The workforce expanded from one hundred in 1762, to over thirteen hundred in 1781. Some of the most famous patterns were designed by Jean-Baptiste Huet, including the celebrated travaux de la manufacture. The output of the factory varied from fabrics celebrating contemporary events, such as American Independence, to famous monuments from Egypt. The greatest number of designs were of flowers, ranging from stylised patterns inspired by Islamic pottery to botanically accurate studies, such as the present drawings. The commercial success of the factory was recognised by the Crown, when it was made Manufacture Royale in 1783, and in 1806 Napoleon awarded Oberkampf the Legion of Honour. Following the death of Christoph-Philipp in 1815, the factory declined and was closed in 1843.

Little is known of Madame Peigné, née Jouanon, except that she specialised in designs of flowers and married a marchand d'indiennes in Versailles