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Symmetrical orange medallions reminiscent of mandalas arranged in a diagonal grid atop a psychedelic gradient of mint green and peach.
Symmetrical orange medallions reminiscent of mandalas arranged in a diagonal grid atop a psychedelic gradient of mint green and peach.
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  • Symmetrical orange medallions reminiscent of mandalas arranged in a diagonal grid atop a psychedelic gradient of mint green and peach.
  • Symmetrical orange medallions reminiscent of mandalas arranged in a diagonal grid atop a psychedelic gradient of mint green and peach.
  • Symmetrical orange medallions reminiscent of mandalas arranged in a diagonal grid atop a psychedelic gradient of mint green and peach.

Zuber & Cie

Irisé Wallpaper

Maker

Attributed to Zuber &amp

Title

Irisé Wallpaper

Year

ca. 1825

Medium

  • Woodblock print on paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Woodblock print on paper

Materials

wood-block printed

Geography

Place Made: Rixheim

Dimensions

87.7 x 48.4 cm (34 1/2 x 19 1/16 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Mary B. Jackson Fund

Object Number

34.1005

Type

  • Wallcoverings

Publications

  • Journal

Manual / Issue 15: Green

RISD Museum’s Manual 15 Celebrates Green

New life is always shown to us through mokingpu, the color green-the light green stems of rabbitbrush, one of the few colors seen the winter; the tender green shoots of new corn that emerge in the spring against the backdrop of the dry brown earth. Green offers hope. Green represents life.

-Susan Sekaquaptewa

A welcome splash of color after a long winter, the RISD Museum’s fifteenth issue of Manual is awash in shades of green, celebrating the color's myriad associations with nature and growth, environmentalism and sustainable practices, newness and hope (as well as poison and currency) and delving into the histories of specific pigments and processes. Manual 15 opens with an introductory essay by Hopi grower Susan Sekaquaptewa, who details the soft hues of the flora of Northern Arizona. “You appreciate plants more when you develop a relationship with them,” she explains.

This issue of Manual is supported in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional generous support is provided by the RISD Museum Associates and Sotheby’s.

Exhibition History

The Art of French Wallpaper Design
Nov 15, 2024 – May 11, 2025

Label copy

These striking multicolored backgrounds were produced using a technique called irisé, developed in 1819 by Michael Spörlin, brother-in-law to Jean Zuber, founder of the Zuber wallpaper manufactory. A wide brush was dipped into a trough holding multiple paint colors, then brushed onto the paper. Large round brushes were then used to blend the colors together. Initially developed to replicate the rippled effect of moiré textiles, irisé became a mainstay for scenic wallpapers, allowing the backgrounds for landscape and sky to be painted all at once.

Raid the Icebox 1 with Andy Warhol
Apr 23, 1970 – Jun 30, 1970

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Tombstone

Attributed to Zuber & Cie (French), manufacturer
Irisé Wallpaper, ca. 1825
Woodblock print on paper
87.7 x 48.4 cm (34 1/2 x 19 1/16 inches)
Mary B. Jackson Fund 34.1005

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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