Chinoiserie Textile & Wallpaper

Europe's interpretation of Asian decorative motifs

Very fashionable in the 18th century, the taste for Orient was manifest in the 17th century with the creation of the East India Company and the China Company. Commercial exchanges thus promote knowledge and then a form of appropriation of Asian culture which will be reflected specifically in decorative arts.

This trend will experience great popularity at the court of Louis XIV then Louis XV where great celebrations inspired by chinese culture were given.
It will find its extension in the Rocaille style which will have a strong influence in french decorative arts and in Rococo all over Europe. Represented in painting by Boucher or Watteau, the taste for Chinoiserie was also exploited by Pillement, from Lyon named “painter to the Queen” Marie-Antoinette, famous for his qualities as ornamentalist. His drawings are reproduced by number of engravers and serve as a source for various trades for the production of wallpaper, furniture, porcelain, etc.