Object Type
By the 1720s Chinese hand-painted wallpapers were arriving in Britain in sufficient quantities to become fashionable as part of interior design schemes in the oriental style. The London paper-stainers (wallpaper makers) soon began to exploit this fashion by producing printed wallpapers which imitated the style of the Chinese imports.
Materials & Making
The outlines of the motifs and the cross-hatching on this wallpaper have been printed and all the colours added using stencils, except for the black ground colour, which appears to have been painted in free-hand. After printing and stencilling, this wallpaper was varnished, possibly to give a rich sheen to the surface so that it resembled Japanese lacquer, which was also fashionable in British interiors at this time.
Subjects Depicted
The Chinese wallpapers were decorated with flowering trees, birds and animals, or figures, in a non-repeating design. The maker of this wallpaper has included similar motifs - flowers, squirrels, peacocks, parakeets and a Chinese figure - but the design lacks the sophistication and the elegance of the Chinese originals. It is also crudely drawn, and has a repeating pattern.
Physical description
Six portions of wallpaper forming a repeat pattern of squirrels, peacocks, parakeets and chinoiserie figures among flowers and foliage; Woodblock print with colour stencilling, on paper, varnished.
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (made)
Ord House, England (paper hung)
Date
ca. 1700 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Woodblock print with colour stencilling, on paper, varnished
Dimensions
Height: 259 cm approx., Width: 62 cm
Object history note
Provenance: Ord House, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland.
Descriptive line
Six portions of wallpaper forming a repeat pattern of squirrels, peacocks, parakeets and chinoiserie figures among flowers and foliage; Woodblock print with colour stencilling, on paper, varnished; Provenance: Ord House, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland; English; ca. 1700.
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:
'31
Six portions forming a repeat pattern of squirrels, peacocks, parakeets and chinoiserie figures among flowers and foliage
Circa 1700
Print from wood block and colour stencil (varnished)
250.7 x 60.4 cm (overall size)
PROVENANCE Ord House, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland
E.5311-1958 neg S.489 CT 7785 (see col pl)
See Greysmith, pl 30.'
For the reference to Greysmith given above, see:
Greysmith, Brenda. Wallpaper. London, 1976.
Saunders, Gill. Wallpaper in Interior Decoration. V&A Publications. London. 2002. pp. 71. pl 60.
An excerpt of the entry is as follows:
'The length is made up of six separate sheets which have been printed before being pasted together. The black ground colour has been crudely brushed in by hand. A paper of similar design is illustrated in Edward Butling's near-contemporary trade card (see plate 21).'
Labels and date
British Galleries:
The Chinese first exported handpainted wallpapers to England in the 1690s. This printed wallpaper was made in imitation of such imports. The designer included Chinese figures and colourful birds. Wallpapers were popular as part of interior design schemes in an oriental style. [27/03/2003]
Materials
Paper; Varnish
Techniques
Woodblock print; Colour stencil
Subjects depicted
Flowers; Figures (representations); Leaf (plant material); Chinoiserie; Squirrels; Parakeet
Categories
British Galleries; Prints; Wall coverings
Collection code
PDP
