Zuber & Cie

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.