Chinoiserie Chic: Hand Painted Chinoiserie Wallpaper Series

Saltram - Devon - 1740s - Study Closeup

If there is one element that most lovers of Chinoiserie would love to have in their homes, it would be hand painted Chinoiserie wallpaper. Today, we begin a series on this coveted Chinoiserie wallpaper. We will look at its history, current and future design, how to specify and use it in your home, and many examples of rooms by top interior designers with hand painted papers. We start today with a look at the history of Chinoiserie wallpaper.

The fascination with Chinoiserie achieved prominence in Europe in the eighteenth century, symbolizing the exotic, elegant, and glamorous. People strove to integrate Chinoiserie into their homes through textiles, furniture, and porcelain. But the greatest prize of all for those who could afford it was hand painted wallpaper imported from China. Much of the paper was traded through Canton, the British name for Guangzhou, a city on the west coast of China where ships from the British East India Company were allowed to dock. The Chinese referred to these European merchants as foreign devils.

The first Chinese wallpaper actually dates back to 200 BC. After inventing paper, the Chinese began gluing paper made from rice to their walls. In the 1600s, the Chinese began adorning the rice paper with painted birds, flowers, and landscapes. In the 1700s, hand painted wallpaper was made with silk as well, and featured birds, trees, Chinese figures, and pagodas.

The very rich in Europe had their palaces, chateaux, and manor houses decorated with Chinoiserie wallpaper adhered to panels which were then affixed to the walls. In the 1800s, the tradition of panoramic Chinese wallpaper emerged featuring gardens, birds, flowering shrubs, and flowers in ornate pots. Drottningholm, The Brighton Pavilion, Sans Souci, Schloss Worlitz, Charlottenburg, and Oranienbaum are among the palaces where you can still see these hand painted wallpapers.