Unknown Maker, Chinese

This fragment of wallpaper was created specifically for export to Europe. It depicts an imaginary scene of contemporary daily life among the Chinese elite. The dress and posture of each person in the scene indicate their social position. The mustached man in the upper left is the master of this wealthy household. Close behind him stands one of his children (?). A family consultant stands to his right; a servant lingers in back of them. To their right, the master’s sons enliven the scene as they playfully fight with each other over a porcelain (?) fish. The courtly setting testifies to the family’s prestige, which in turn would have echoed the wealth and status of the paper’s purchasers.

The colors and composition demonstrate an aesthetic connection between traditional Chinese ink painting and the Chinese commercial wallpaper industry. Wallpaper designers in China were regarded not as artists but as minor craftsmen. Unlike Chinese painters and calligraphers, who were well-educated and enjoyed high social status, these artists came from the lower ranks of society and were often illiterate.