Wallpaper thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case DW, Shelf 29

Wallpaper

late 17th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Many early wallpapers were designed to imitate textiles, including velvets, brocades and lacework. This paper has a fleur-de-lis watermark that suggests a possible date of around 1680. The design is very similar to the border of a later 17th-century cotton printed with a lace-pattern, in the V&A (inv. no. 1605-1872). It also has strong similarities with the embroidery style known as 'black-work', in which patterns of flowers and fruit were stitched in black and silver thread on a white ground. One of only a handful of pre-1700 papers to survive, this design has been found in several different locations, including two houses in Surrey - in Kingston upon Thames (this piece) and Epsom - one in Newcastle upon Tyne, and one in a wooden box.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woodblock print, on paper
Brief description
Sheet of wallpaper with formalised floral design on lattice-patterned ground, imitating lacework; Woodblock print, on paper; Provenance: Boots the Chemist, Market Place, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey; English; Late 17th century.
Physical description
Sheet of wallpaper with formalised floral design on lattice-patterned ground, imitating lacework; Woodblock print, on paper.
Dimensions
  • Portion height: 54cm
  • Portion width: 48cm
Dimensions from: Oman, Charles C., and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: a history and illustrated catalogue of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Sotheby Publications, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982.
Marks and inscriptions
(The paper bears a fleur-de-lis watermark of circa 1680.)
Credit line
Given by Boots the Chemist, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey
Object history
Given by Boots the Chemist, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey.

Provenance: Boots the Chemist, 14, Market Place, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey.

The paper bears a fleur-de-lis watermark of circa 1680, and the design is closely related to that of the border of a printed cotton, bearing a characteristic lace pattern of the second half of the 17th century (Department of Textiles, no 1605-1872). The building used by Boots is dated circa 1599. The paper was on a wooden partition wall, uncovered by subsequent decoration, and presents an unusual example of the preservation of original décor.
Production
The building used by Boots is dated circa 1599. The paper was on a wooden partition wall, uncovered by subsequent decoration, and presents an unusual example of the preservation of original décor.
Subject depicted
Summary
Many early wallpapers were designed to imitate textiles, including velvets, brocades and lacework. This paper has a fleur-de-lis watermark that suggests a possible date of around 1680. The design is very similar to the border of a later 17th-century cotton printed with a lace-pattern, in the V&A (inv. no. 1605-1872). It also has strong similarities with the embroidery style known as 'black-work', in which patterns of flowers and fruit were stitched in black and silver thread on a white ground. One of only a handful of pre-1700 papers to survive, this design has been found in several different locations, including two houses in Surrey - in Kingston upon Thames (this piece) and Epsom - one in Newcastle upon Tyne, and one in a wooden box.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Oman, Charles C., and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: a history and illustrated catalogue of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Sotheby Publications, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982.
  • Saunders, Gill. Wallpaper in Interior Decoration. V&A Publications. London. 2002. pp. 46-47.
Collection
Accession number
E.1003-1976

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Record createdMarch 17, 2003
Record URL
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