Jean-Démosthène Dugourc
1749-1825

Jean-Démosthène Dugourc was one of the most famous French designers working in ornamental design in the second half of the 18th century. He was raised in Versailles where his father worked for the Duke of Orleans. He visited Italy in his twenties where he realized many drawings of the ancient Rome. It's possible that it was there that he met Johann Joachim Winckelmann (a famous German archaelogist and Hellenist). Dugourc was named "dessinateur du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne" in 1784. He worked also for the Spanish court at the Casita del Labrador in Aranjuez where he was in charge of decoration. He remained in Spain for fourteen years becoming first architect to the King Charles IV. He was a multi talented man, designed fabrics for Camille Pernon in Lyon France and occasionaly costumes, furniture and illustrated books (Contes de La Fontaine, 1795, Atala by Comte de Chateaubriand). At the time of the revolution he established one factory for wallpaper and another for playing cards.