Wallpaper
ca. 1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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.
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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woodblock print with colour stencilling, on paper, varnished |
| Brief 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; Provenance: Ord House, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland; English; ca. 1700. |
| 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. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | 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) |
| Object history | Provenance: Ord House, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | 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. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.5311-1958 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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