Unknown Maker, Chinese

Designs with birds and flowers were popular for Chinese wallpapers. Made almost exclusively for export, as there was no tradition of using wallpapers in China, works like this one enjoyed tremendous popularity in Europe and America in the 1700s and 1800s. Unlike traditional European block-printed wallpapers that utilized repeating patterns, Chinese wallpapers were almost always hand-painted in gouache or tempera and featured unique designs. More costly than their manufactured counterparts, these papers were lined with canvas rather than pasted directly onto the wall, making them easy to remove for redecoration.