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Wallpaper - Hindoo Gods

Hindoo Gods

  • Object:

    Wallpaper

  • Place of origin:

    London, England (made)

  • Date:

    1880-1890 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Allan, Cockshut & Co. (manufacturer)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Colour machine print, on paper

  • Credit Line:

    Given by the Wallpaper Manufacturers

  • Museum number:

    E.1821-1934

  • Gallery location:

    British Galleries, room 125c, case 2

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Object Type
Paper printed with patterns has been used to decorate walls since the 16th century. However, the many Europeans living in India in the 19th century found it impractical to introduce the fashion for wallpaper there as the climate was not suitable. The heat and humidity caused the paper to peel away from the wall after a short time, and it would also become infested with insects. It seems likely, therefore, that these wallpaper panels were produced to be used as temporary decorations, perhaps for religious festivals.

Subjects Depicted
This scene appears to have been copied from a 19th-century south Indian painting. It combines elements of European design (the chandeliers) with decorative features (the arch) characteristic of Indian art of the Mughal period (1526-1857). The figures depicted in this panel and others in the series are all characters from Hindu mythology. The god Vishnu (the Preserver) is seen reclining on the serpent Ananta, on the waters of Nara; Brahma (the Creator in the Hindu pantheon) appears in a lotus flower which rises from Vishnu's navel. Vishnu's sleep on the eternal waters symbolises the dormant periods between the ages of the universe. Brahma's reappearance signals his re-creation of the universe to begin a new age.

Physical description

Portion of paper from the series entitled 'Hindoo Gods'; Colour machine print, on paper.

Place of Origin

London, England (made)

Date

1880-1890 (made)

Artist/maker

Allan, Cockshut & Co. (manufacturer)

Materials and Techniques

Colour machine print, on paper

Dimensions

Height: 67.3 cm portion, Width: 51.5 cm portion

Object history note

Produced by Allan, Cockshut & Co., London, for the Indian market.

Descriptive line

Portion of paper from the series entitled 'Hindoo Gods'; Colour machine print, on paper; Produced by Allan, Cockshut & Co., London, for the Indian market; English; 1880-1890.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

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.
The full text of the entry is as follows:

'370
Paper from the series entitled 'Hindoo Gods'
Produced by Allan, Cockshut & Co. for the Indian market
Circa 1880-90
Colour machine print
67.3 x 51.5 cm (portion)
Given by the WM
E.1821-1934 neg GE.427

See SE, pl 169; Greysmith, pl 77.'

For abbreviated bibliographic references given above, see:
SE:
Sugden, A. V., and Edmondson, J. L. A History of English Wallpaper. 1509-1914. London, 1926.

Greysmith:
Greysmith, Brenda. Wallpaper. London, 1976.
Saunders, Gill. Wallpaper in Interior Decoration. V&A Publications. London. 2002. pp. 19-20.

Labels and date

British Galleries:
This wallpaper panel was printed in Britain for the Indian market. It was probably a temporary decoration for festivals as it takes the form of a pictorial panel with an integral printed border, rather than a repeating pattern. [27/03/2003]

Production Note

Produced by Allan, Cockshut & Co. for the Indian market.

Materials

Paper

Techniques

Colour machine print

Subjects depicted

Floral patterns; Fish; Hinduism; People; Borders; Lanterns (lighting devices)

Categories

Prints; Wall coverings; Hinduism

Collection code

PDP

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Qr_O78157
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