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한국어
▞ Patterns & textiles

Toile (toile de Jouy)

투알 (투알 드 주이)

A pictorial print of pastoral scenes in a single ink colour, repeated at a large scale — named after the French village where it was perfected.

Also known as: 프렌치 컨트리 프린트
···
html
<div class="wrap"><svg viewBox="0 0 360 240" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid slice" width="100%" height="100%">
  <defs>
    <g id="scene" fill="#7a2e2e">
      <circle cx="30" cy="34" r="16"/>
      <rect x="27" y="46" width="6" height="20"/>
      <rect x="70" y="58" width="26" height="18"/>
      <path d="M68 58 L83 44 L98 58 Z"/>
      <circle cx="83" cy="90" r="3"/>
      <rect x="80" y="93" width="6" height="10"/>
    </g>
    <pattern id="pt" width="120" height="120" patternUnits="userSpaceOnUse">
      <rect width="120" height="120" fill="#f4ecdc"/>
      <use href="#scene"/>
      <animateTransform attributeName="patternTransform" type="translate" from="0 0" to="-120 0" dur="18s" repeatCount="indefinite"/>
    </pattern>
  </defs>
  <rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#pt)"/>
</svg></div><span class="tag">toile de Jouy</span>
css
.wrap{position:absolute;inset:0;overflow:hidden}
.tag{position:absolute;left:10px;bottom:8px;padding:3px 9px;border-radius:999px;background:rgba(90,30,30,.82);
  color:#f4ecdc;font:600 10px/1.5 ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,monospace;letter-spacing:.03em}

The French word "toile" simply means cloth or canvas — a generic noun. The specific pattern usually meant by "toile" in English is formally "toile de Jouy," named after Jouy-en-Josas, the village near Paris where Oberkampf's factory operated in the late 18th century.

Unlike most patterns in this set, which are geometric or abstract, toile is pictorial and narrative. Engraved copperplate printing laid down pastoral, mythological, or genre scenes in a single ink colour — usually red, blue, or black — on a cream ground. The repeat unit is far larger than in most patterns, so only a few repeats are visible in any one view.

During the French Revolution, the same printing technique was even used to carry political satire — the medium was as much "a way to mass-print pictures" as it was a decorative pattern. In CSS/SVG, a simple scene — a tree, a small building silhouette — sits inside one large tile, repeated in a single flat colour.

When to use

Use for French country/cottagecore moods and bedding or curtain texture. The repeat is large enough that a small card preview may crop the scene past recognition.