Chinese dressing room wallpaper

This month’s Artifact of the Month is a sheet of Chinese dressing room wallpaper from the 20th century that was painted and woodblocked by hand. The pattern is comprised of shimmering gray-green moths, vines, and gourds on a rust-colored background. The single color of the pattern indicates that only one woodblock was used for printing. This wallpaper was clearly handmade as evidenced by the slight misalignment of the pattern on the sheet, the brushstrokes of the red background, and the varying values due to uneven pressure application. There are characters in traditional Chinese that have been translated as “Manufactured by 永興號” and a note attached to the reverse that reads “Wall paper used only for Dressing Rooms – Modern No. 4”.  

Woodblock printing is one of the four methods used for the mass production of wallpaper and is usually chosen for printing the finest of wallpapers. This process began in China, and though the exact date of origin is unknown, it was widely used by the Jin Dynasty in the 300s AD. In the following centuries, woodblock printing developed in artistry and ubiquity, even being used for calendars during the Song Dynasty in the tenth century. The red paint of this artifact’s background has symbolism of happiness and prosperity dating back to the Late Ming Dynasty. The wallpaper pattern of flora and fauna follows a long Chinese folk tradition that has informed European wallpaper trends and designs for centuries. Chinese wallpapers were not domestically popular as paintings on silk were the preferred wall decorations, but they became highly sought-after in Europe by elites, which is a likely reasoning for the English note on the back of the artifact. Woodblock printing requires great skill and experience from the carving of the block to ensuring that it is well aligned on the sheet. The craftsmanship and artistry of the wallpaper is still clear in the wallpaper’s faded condition.