Origins of Decorative Wallpaper As Art - Lecture at the American Library in Paris 2018

Kimberly Allyn
Jul 16, 2018
3 min read

Origins of Decorative Wallpaper As Art- Lecture at the American Library in Paris March 2018

Bonjour Mes Amies,

This is a synopsis and informative education of the origins and purpose of scenic mural wallcoverings as art.

I attended a lecture at the American Library in Paris in late February It was a evening with Carolle Thibaut- Pomerantz. She is a most renowned appraiser and Compagnie Nationale des Arts on Ancient Painted and Antique Wallpapers as well as Decorative Arts. Her offices are located in Paris and New York. Her lecture introduces us to the unique Art Wall mural which is an important page in the history of Decorative Art and Interior Design. Very much in vogue in the 18th century, the English, French and Chinese were interested in this decorative art and used the wallcoverings to enhance the homes of the aristocratic and wealthy families throughout Europe, Russia and America. At the end of the 18th century the French excelled in the creation of the Wall mural. Some murals were considered as the most treasured, beautiful, and sophisticated designs of the time and were exported throughout the world.

The early wallcovering murals intent was to feature the visual appearance of a grand tapestry. The largest first documentation of a large scale wall mural was The Triumphal Arch commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and it was finished between 1515- 1517. It was one of the first actual wall murals documented. See below the image.

Near the end of the 18th century the stylized effect of the scenic wallpaper was revived by the artist Jean - Gabriel Charveted in France and England.

In 1804 The Sauvages de la Mer du Pacifique (Savages of the Pacific) was designed for the French manufacturer Joseph Dufour et Cie. It was a depiction of the voyages of Captain Hook.It was made of 10 panels of hand- blocked wallpaper.It is in situ ( definition of situ) is that it is an artifact that has not been moved from its original place of desposition) and it is the Ham House, Peabody Massachusetts. See below the image

Other French manufacturers of important panoramic scenic or Trompe L'oeil (definition - is an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions. Forced perspective is a comparable illusion of architecture or another element . Some consider it simply visually tricking the eye) of these wallcovers were Zuber et Cie and Arthur et Robert.

Zuber et Cies circa 1834 designed View of North America it presently hangs in the Diplomatic Room of the White House and has been considered one of the most beautiful existing wallpapers in the world.See below the image

The panoramic scenes were created to look like a continous sweeping wall mural circling a room.They were designed to be hung above a dado. Definition of Dado ( the lower part of the wall below waist high). A dado may be a strip of wood that can be a fixed to the wall. Known today as the chair rail in many cases. The Trompe L'oeil effect was often a technique used in wall murals to visually give an illusion of a larger space using scenic panoramic imaginary landscape. There were pastoral scenes and exotic flora designs as well as the amazing landscape designs. The design intent of the Wall mural was to give an open window effect and to create depth and perspective in a room. They are still used today in many dining rooms with a painted technique or using wallpaper panels. In the past they were usually mounted on linen canvases and then stretched, they made with natural mineral pigments that created a density and opaqueness that resisted fading and the direct sun. The French and the English were in direct competition through out the 1800's in the designing and manufacturing of the most elaborate Wall murals. During that time the French emerged as the coveted principal designers but the English took over in the Arts and Craft period. The Art Deco period was the last great important period many experts in this field consider.

This knowledgeable and lovely informative lecture by Carolle Thibault- Pomerantz was greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Any interpretation or repeat documentation of her presentation of information is solely based on my subjective and objective recollection. Introduction based on American Library in Paris.

So mes amies another design lesson.,