Wallpaper thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Wallpaper

1725-1775 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This panel of wallpaper is one of a set datable to between 1725 and 1750. The decorative motifs of flowering trees, insects and colourful birds, hand painted in watercolours, was a favourite theme on such Chinese papers.

People
The enduring popularity of Chinese wallpapers is proved by the existence of firms specialising in re-hanging the wallpapers, such as Messrs Cowan & Sons Ltd.

Trade
Tea, raw silk and porcelain were the commodities which made up the bulk of the trade from China at the time this wallpaper was produced. The officers of the East India Company, who conducted the trade, were also allowed to profit from private trading, which included wallpaper. This is how such wallpapers would have reached Britain.

Materials & Making
In order for the paper to form a continuous scene around a room, the separate sheets sent from China had to be hung in sequence. The design went across the joins and some surviving unused rolls have Chinese numbers on them to indicate their position.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ink and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Wallpaper, ten panels from Eltham Lodge, with plant forms and birds; Guangzhou, China, 1725-75
Physical description
With an ivory-coloured background on which is painted a flower-and-bird design. This one with a green bird on lower right corner.
Dimensions
  • Height: 279cm
  • Width: 164cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 03/04/2000 by RK
Gallery label
British Galleries: This panel is from a set of ten made to decorate an entire room. The Chinese made pictorial wallpapers for export to Europe, where they were most fashionable between 1740 and 1790. Patterns like this one, with birds, trees, shrubs and flowers, were the most popular.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Given by HM Commissioners of Woods, Forest and Land Revenue
Object history
Ten panels of wallpaper (E.2083-1914 to E.2092-1914) originally hung in Eltham Lodge and were removed in 1911. Pieces were subsequently separated for convenience of handling and were given 'a' and 'b' parts.
Historical context
Ten panels of Chinese wallpaper forming the complete decoration of a room
Summary
Object Type
This panel of wallpaper is one of a set datable to between 1725 and 1750. The decorative motifs of flowering trees, insects and colourful birds, hand painted in watercolours, was a favourite theme on such Chinese papers.

People
The enduring popularity of Chinese wallpapers is proved by the existence of firms specialising in re-hanging the wallpapers, such as Messrs Cowan & Sons Ltd.

Trade
Tea, raw silk and porcelain were the commodities which made up the bulk of the trade from China at the time this wallpaper was produced. The officers of the East India Company, who conducted the trade, were also allowed to profit from private trading, which included wallpaper. This is how such wallpapers would have reached Britain.

Materials & Making
In order for the paper to form a continuous scene around a room, the separate sheets sent from China had to be hung in sequence. The design went across the joins and some surviving unused rolls have Chinese numbers on them to indicate their position.
Collection
Accession number
E.2083-1914

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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