The Chinese began to produce silk wallpaper in the early 1600’s and it was these rice papers, hand drawn and painted with flowers, birds and landscapes that became fashionable in Europe in the 1700’s.
In France, during this time, wallpaper became the mode in the Court of Louis XVI. Wallpapers resembled the end papers of books, and were hand-printed in small squares that were then joined together and rolled. By 1785 the French had invented a machine to print paper and so the scope of the patterns broadened and local artists started to design images for the papers.
But the Chinese paper, known as chinoiserie, was ever popular and became the fashion for royalty and the establishment. These wallpapers depicting classical Chinese landscapes, birds and figures were painted in panels and hung side by side to tell a story.
We offer the full range to Chinoiserie Wallpapers. Custom Available