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.
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 |
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| 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 created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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