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Savonnerie, Paris: Dupont's workshop (1615) and the 1627 royal monopoly with Lourdet for knotted 'Turkish-manner' carpets

Research finding · not yet checked at the source

Made by: Pierre Dupont; Simon Lourdet
Date: 1615; 1627
Place: Louvre and Chaillot, Paris
Themes: Woven carpet

View at the source Cited in chapter 3, note 2

Cite this source

“Savonnerie, Paris: Dupont’s workshop (1615) and the 1627 royal monopoly with Lourdet for knotted 'Turkish-manner' carpets.” Research note. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savonnerie_manufactory.

Research notes

Context, not loom pile: Savonnerie carpets were hand-knotted. Wikipedia: Dupont set up a workshop in a former soap factory (savon) at Chaillot around 1615 after returning from the Levant; in 1627 Louis XIII granted Dupont and his former apprentice Simon Lourdet an 18-year monopoly on carpets 'in the Turkish manner'. Sotheby's gives a September 1626 partnership and an April 1627 grant of exclusive rights, with production at both the Louvre and Chaillot until 1671. The crown owned the output until 1768. Why it matters: Europe's model of a state-backed carpet manufactory, which London (Fulham) tried to copy in the 1750s. Conflict: 1615 (workshop) vs 1627 (patent). Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savonnerie_manufactory · https://sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/masterworks-n09209/lot.20.html Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.