 In the heart of Drôme, there's a factory that tells the story of the « indiennes », painted canvasses that the Dutch and Portuguese navigators brought back from India at the end of the 16th century.
This novelty from the Orient was an immediate success in Europe: Provençal artisans, called « indienneurs », started to create indiennes which were all the rage with Parisians around the time of the St-Germain fair in 1650. A passion that didn't have the good fortune to please everyone! Under the impetus of the traditional textile industry, which felt threatened, the import and the reproduction of the indiennes were simply and purely prohibited, which only created the fortune of certain smugglers like Mandrin.
It wasn't until 1759 that the ban was lifted. And then there was nothing to prevent the growth of the « indiennes » industry. With the creation of the factory at Valence in 1770, artisans passing through Valence carved pattern blocks in wood. Rural motifs, and especially flower motifs, appeared and the indienneurs imported their base dyes from the Orient: indigo blue, Common Madder red and yellow from various plants. Today, the Manufacture de Valence, renamed Valdrôme in honour of the navigator Jean de Valdrôme who discovered the secrets of the indiennes in the 16th century, still handcrafts its products in the traditional way. Its wool and silk shawl, printed by hand in Kashmiri designs, is the jewel in the crown of its production. A factory that tells the story of a thousand-year-old tradition by showing its visitors a collection of several thousand antique printing blocks.
More information: www.valdrome.com
Photo: Valdrôme
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