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‘Evoking the Orient’ at MARBLE HILL HOUSE, TWICKENHAM

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10 page zig-zag fold brochure to mark the opening of the newly restored decorations and interior of Marble Hill House.

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‘Evoking theOrient’

atMARBLE HILL HOUSE, TWICKENHAM

The Origin of Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie was avidly collectedthroughout Europe, and fashionablehouses boasted lacquer furniture,porcelain and Chinese-style objects bothFar Eastern and European in origin.Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk(1689-1767), was an early collector of

Chinoiserie. The1767 inventorytaken four daysafter her death atMarble Hill, listedat least 12 piecesof ‘Japan’ and‘India’ furniture,cabinets andchests. However,Lady Suffolk’sgreatest collectionof oriental objectswas of porcelain,

and she had even built a complete ‘Chinaroom’ (now demolished) to display it.The original contents of Marble Hillwere dispersed before the propertycame into public ownership in 1902.Since that time, the house has graduallybeen refurnished in a manner suited tothe status and tastes of its first owner,Lady Suffolk. Some of the objects ondisplay are known to have belonged

to her; others are contemporary. Theunifying theme of Chinoiserie throughthe house remains to this day, and theinstallation of new wallpaper is animportant step towards re-presentingLady Suffolk’s 18th century home.

Accounts from travellers in the 18thcentury recorded that, to decoratea room, the Chinese ‘whiten theChamber or glew Paper upon it’. Paperseems usually to have been plain white,crimson or gold. It is thought that theChinese tradition of painting panelledscreens, scrolls and decorative windowpapers provided the inspiration for earlyChinese-style wallpaper in Europe.An itemised bill is the first survivingevidence we have that Lady Suffolk had‘India Paper’ installed in her new diningroom in 1751. The paper’s journey wouldhave begun in Canton,where it wasdecorated by unknown Chinese artists.It would then have travelled on one ofthe heavily-armed ships of the East IndiaCompany. Ships’ captains and seniorofficers often brought back papers

to sell privately. As an unofficial partof the cargo – usually tea, porcelain andlacquer – early wallpapers were rarelyrecorded in a ship’s manifest.Hand-painted Chinese papers couldtake 12 to 18 months to arrive in Englandand were usually supplied in sets, eachdifferent in design. Being hand-painted,these paper-hangings were exorbitantlyexpensive. Lady Suffolk paid £42 2s forthe original Marble Hill wallpaper, at atime when her cook probably earnedaround £8 a year, and the annual rentalfor a house on London Bridge was £12.

No fragments of the original Chinesewallpaper at Marble Hill have survivedand no evidence remains of the designsit carried. A specialist wallpaper company,de Gournay of Old Church Street,Chelsea, was approached with a briefto design new wallpaper inspired bydocumented existing examples datedto the 1750s.After considerable research, it wasdecided the new paper should be ofthe bird-and-flower pattern,popular in the1750s. Severaloriginal such Chinesepapers survive elsewhere,elements from which wereused as inspiration for theMarble Hill design. After agreeingcontent and patterns in London,the paper was produced andpainted at the de Gournay studio incentral China. In all, the artists spent inexcess of 1,000 hours on the project.The materials used at Marble Hill arethe same as in the 18th century. Thefine, painted paper is composed of whitemulberry paper mounted on superfinesilk, backed with another layer ofmulberry paper. The designs were

painted with watercolour,gouache and tempera,applied thinly in order toprevent cracking whenrolled up for shipping.

Chinoiserie at Marble Hill

Cathay, as China was known in medievaltimes, was first described by Marco Polo(1254-1324), who wrote of a romanticworld, populated by astonishing animalsand plants and bursting with treasures.Trade with China was difficult, even inthe 17th century. Although Europeantrading stations or ‘factories’ had beenestablished, the Chinese Emperor limitedwestern access in China to Canton (nowGuangzhou). During the early 18thcentury, inventive European artists andcraftsmen began to produce their ownimitations of Chinese goods to meetdemand for Eastern imports, particularlyfor the luxuries of porcelain and lacquer.

A hybrid style began to develop, whichbecame known as Chinoiserie. The termencompasses both objects made in Chinafor the European market, and goodsmade in Europe with an orientalinspiration.The names of these exotic objects –

‘India chest’, ‘Japan cabinet’, ‘all thingsChinee’ – do not always reflect their placeof origin, rather their character and style.For example, as the East India Company,established in 1600,was the sole Englishtrader to the Far East,‘India’ wascommonly used to describe any itemsupplied by them.

ChineseWallpaper TheWallpaper Project at Marble Hill

Far leftPortrait of Henrietta Howard,Countess of Suffolk by CharlesJervas, c.1724.

LeftAn East Indiamandischarging cargoesfrom China atBlackwell, 1750.Museum of Docklands.

Far leftA detail of thehistoric wallpaper atDalemain,Cumbria,supplied byThomasBromwich in 1756,and still in situ.

Historic papersfrom Felbrigg Hall,Norfolk (left),installed in 1752and Dalemain inCumbria (belowand below left),installed in 1756,informed the newMarble Hill designs.

CentreOne of the newwall panels forMarble Hill,designed byde Gournay.

The European Factories in CantonbyWilliam Daniell c.1808In the early 1700s buildingscould only be rented for aseason. It was not until the1760s that permanent factorysites were established.Yale Center for British Art,Paul Mellon Collection,USA/The Bridgeman Art Library.

AboveThe table has been set for tea. Traders claimed thenew Chinese leaf introduced to England in the 17thcentury had medicinal properties. By the 1730s teahad become fashionable to drink as refreshmentrather than as a cure for ailments.

AboveLarge blue and white china vaseswould decorate fireplaces duringthe summer.

The Origin of Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie was avidly collectedthroughout Europe, and fashionablehouses boasted lacquer furniture,porcelain and Chinese-style objects bothFar Eastern and European in origin.Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk(1689-1767), was an early collector of

Chinoiserie. The1767 inventorytaken four daysafter her death atMarble Hill, listedat least 12 piecesof ‘Japan’ and‘India’ furniture,cabinets andchests. However,Lady Suffolk’sgreatest collectionof oriental objectswas of porcelain,

and she had even built a complete ‘Chinaroom’ (now demolished) to display it.The original contents of Marble Hillwere dispersed before the propertycame into public ownership in 1902.Since that time, the house has graduallybeen refurnished in a manner suited tothe status and tastes of its first owner,Lady Suffolk. Some of the objects ondisplay are known to have belonged

to her; others are contemporary. Theunifying theme of Chinoiserie throughthe house remains to this day, and theinstallation of new wallpaper is animportant step towards re-presentingLady Suffolk’s 18th century home.

Accounts from travellers in the 18thcentury recorded that, to decoratea room, the Chinese ‘whiten theChamber or glew Paper upon it’. Paperseems usually to have been plain white,crimson or gold. It is thought that theChinese tradition of painting panelledscreens, scrolls and decorative windowpapers provided the inspiration for earlyChinese-style wallpaper in Europe.An itemised bill is the first survivingevidence we have that Lady Suffolk had‘India Paper’ installed in her new diningroom in 1751. The paper’s journey wouldhave begun in Canton,where it wasdecorated by unknown Chinese artists.It would then have travelled on one ofthe heavily-armed ships of the East IndiaCompany. Ships’ captains and seniorofficers often brought back papers

to sell privately. As an unofficial partof the cargo – usually tea, porcelain andlacquer – early wallpapers were rarelyrecorded in a ship’s manifest.Hand-painted Chinese papers couldtake 12 to 18 months to arrive in Englandand were usually supplied in sets, eachdifferent in design. Being hand-painted,these paper-hangings were exorbitantlyexpensive. Lady Suffolk paid £42 2s forthe original Marble Hill wallpaper, at atime when her cook probably earnedaround £8 a year, and the annual rentalfor a house on London Bridge was £12.

No fragments of the original Chinesewallpaper at Marble Hill have survivedand no evidence remains of the designsit carried. A specialist wallpaper company,de Gournay of Old Church Street,Chelsea, was approached with a briefto design new wallpaper inspired bydocumented existing examples datedto the 1750s.After considerable research, it wasdecided the new paper should be ofthe bird-and-flower pattern,popular in the1750s. Severaloriginal such Chinesepapers survive elsewhere,elements from which wereused as inspiration for theMarble Hill design. After agreeingcontent and patterns in London,the paper was produced andpainted at the de Gournay studio incentral China. In all, the artists spent inexcess of 1,000 hours on the project.The materials used at Marble Hill arethe same as in the 18th century. Thefine, painted paper is composed of whitemulberry paper mounted on superfinesilk, backed with another layer ofmulberry paper. The designs were

painted with watercolour,gouache and tempera,applied thinly in order toprevent cracking whenrolled up for shipping.

Chinoiserie at Marble Hill

Cathay, as China was known in medievaltimes, was first described by Marco Polo(1254-1324), who wrote of a romanticworld, populated by astonishing animalsand plants and bursting with treasures.Trade with China was difficult, even inthe 17th century. Although Europeantrading stations or ‘factories’ had beenestablished, the Chinese Emperor limitedwestern access in China to Canton (nowGuangzhou). During the early 18thcentury, inventive European artists andcraftsmen began to produce their ownimitations of Chinese goods to meetdemand for Eastern imports, particularlyfor the luxuries of porcelain and lacquer.

A hybrid style began to develop, whichbecame known as Chinoiserie. The termencompasses both objects made in Chinafor the European market, and goodsmade in Europe with an orientalinspiration.The names of these exotic objects –

‘India chest’, ‘Japan cabinet’, ‘all thingsChinee’ – do not always reflect their placeof origin, rather their character and style.For example, as the East India Company,established in 1600,was the sole Englishtrader to the Far East,‘India’ wascommonly used to describe any itemsupplied by them.

ChineseWallpaper TheWallpaper Project at Marble Hill

Far leftPortrait of Henrietta Howard,Countess of Suffolk by CharlesJervas, c.1724.

LeftAn East Indiamandischarging cargoesfrom China atBlackwell, 1750.Museum of Docklands.

Far leftA detail of thehistoric wallpaper atDalemain,Cumbria,supplied byThomasBromwich in 1756,and still in situ.

Historic papersfrom Felbrigg Hall,Norfolk (left),installed in 1752and Dalemain inCumbria (belowand below left),installed in 1756,informed the newMarble Hill designs.

CentreOne of the newwall panels forMarble Hill,designed byde Gournay.

The European Factories in CantonbyWilliam Daniell c.1808In the early 1700s buildingscould only be rented for aseason. It was not until the1760s that permanent factorysites were established.Yale Center for British Art,Paul Mellon Collection,USA/The Bridgeman Art Library.

AboveThe table has been set for tea. Traders claimed thenew Chinese leaf introduced to England in the 17thcentury had medicinal properties. By the 1730s teahad become fashionable to drink as refreshmentrather than as a cure for ailments.

AboveLarge blue and white china vaseswould decorate fireplaces duringthe summer.

Paper Designs

Delicate peony and magnolia treesmeander up towards the cornice oneach panel, their characteristic whitenedleaves and flowers enlivened by perchingbirds and occasional butterflies andinsects. There is a concentration ofnatural colour on the lower third of thepaper, where plants and flowers suchas hydrangea, ginger lily, celosia andchrysanthemum are depicted in a stylisedbut accurate way.Amongst the various birds are apaired pheasant and grouse, a motifsimilar to that found at Uppark,Dalemain and Felbrigg Hall.Only flora and fauna seenin contemporary papers areincluded. The slightly awkward

poses held by the birds, the naïveand ‘incorrect’ shadows andmodelling, the limited colour palette,

and the level of detailed brushwork,are characteristics ofChinese papersof this era.

Lacquer and JapanningThe magnificent Chinese lacquer screenin the Great Room, one of Lady Suffolk’spersonal possessions, would have beenmade to order in China. The armorial,or crest, situated in the top right cornerdisplays the arms of the Earls of Suffolkon the left, and the Hobart family onthe right (Lady Suffolk’s maiden name).Two such screens are known to haveexisted in the Great Room.The key ingredient for making truelacquer is the sap of the tree Rhusverniciflux. The sap could not be importedin its raw state, as it would dry out onthe journey. Although Europeans triedto copy the lacquer finish using localequivalents, they could not match thehard lustrous quality of the original, andinstead created a process calledJapanning. The English japanner used asize and whitening mixture which wasapplied in successive layers to the wood,

then blackened or coloured,varnished and polished.Japanned furniture becamevery popular and itemswere usually identifiedas ‘Japan’ whether theywere actually japannedor lacquered.

Look out for the lacquer cabinet inthe Red Bedroom. Often such cabinetswere made in Europe from importedlacquer panels from China which weresimply cut to size regardless of thepattern. Others were altered to fita room. This cabinet is set on a gildedstand made in England.European craftsmen continually lookedfor ways of imitating Chinese originalsusing new techniques. As early as 1660Thomas Allgood of Pontypool discovereda way of japanning on metal – whichbecame known as Pontypool Japan; twoexamples can be seen in the small teaand coffee containers in theWroughtRoom on the 2nd floor.

SilksSilk was probably the first exotic FarEastern material to arrive in Europe.Great quantities of Chinese silk passedalong the caravan trails of Central Asiafrom the days of the Roman Empire.Silk was unique to China and remainedso until the eggs of the mulberry silkmoth were smuggled into Rome in the6th century. Chinese silk cloth was usedfor luxurious dresses and waistcoats, andto decorate rooms. Raw silk was woven

into wall-hangings, like thoseyou can see in Lady Suffolk’sBedchamber.

Painted Chinese mirrorsAn unusual group of Chinese paintingson English glass may be seen in therooms on the 2nd floor. They reveal theremarkable cultural exchange that tookplace to produce Chinoiserie objects tocater for Western fashions. China didnot manufacture its own mirror glass.Mirrors made inVauxhall, London,wouldbe transported to Canton for Chineseartists there to decorate.

The mixing of styles and culturalinfluences central to Chinoiseriecontinues to be popular to this dayand, as at Marble Hill, often producessurprising and effective results. Thedecorative motifs of flowers, birds andoriental landscapes, which might seemfrivolous, lend sophistication and beauty;an exotic contrast to the classicalinteriors of a Palladian villa.

This lacquer screen is one of themost significant pieces of originalfurniture to have been found andreturned to Marble Hill.

As you walk through Marble Hill,look for the porcelain and lacquerfurniture evoking the Orient so belovedby Henrietta Howard. If you wish to readabout the objects in more detail, please lookfor the object folders on each floor.

PorcelainSince at least the 9th century, the Chinesehad exported porcelain to SoutheastAsia, India and the Middle East, but it wasonly with the arrival of the Portuguesein 1514 that they began to export largequantities to Europe. In the 18th century,porcelain became a key import for theEast India Company.Early Chinese pottery was mostly blueand white, and throughout the housemany of the chimney-pieces are displayedwith clusters of Chinese export porcelain.

In the 2nd floor Gallery, you can seea variety of English Delftware. Chinese ininspiration, it is actually tin-glazed pottery,much softer and creamier in colour thantrue porcelain. The secret of hard-pasteChinese porcelain lay in the essentialingredients – two types of decomposedgranite, kaolin (china clay) and petuntse(china stone) – and a kiln capable of firingat extremely high temperatures. Trueporcelain would not be made in Europeuntil 1715 at Meissen,Germany.

Also look out forthe tea service madein the StaffordshireNew Hall factoryabout 1810,which hasa Chinoiserie designand a motif unique toNew Hall – the knopon the lid of theteapot is modelledas a Chinese hat.

Chinoiserie in the House

Golden PheasantsPheasants were a popularmotif, commonly appearingon wallpapers, porcelainand, as here, on mirrors.

An Oriental BeautyThis mirror painting was produced in a Chineseworkshop by an artist who was probably copyingthe figure from a print, as the lady’s face has adistinctly European appearance.

Japanned bookcase, the legs designed toimitate bamboo.Bamboo was an importantChinese design motif and,within Chineseculture,was seen to represent the humanqualities of flexibility and patience.

LeftNew Hall teapot.Presented by the Rosemary andMonty Lazenby Bequest, through theNational Art Collections Fund 1988.

BelowOne of a pair of large Chinese jars;the decoration reflects the FamileVerte palette of colours, in which thedominant colour is a brilliant green.

BelowA plate of English Delftware, fromtheWilliam Kretchmer collection.Presented by his family through theNational Art Collections Fund 1986.

Lacquer cabinet inthe Red Bedroom.

Paper Designs

Delicate peony and magnolia treesmeander up towards the cornice oneach panel, their characteristic whitenedleaves and flowers enlivened by perchingbirds and occasional butterflies andinsects. There is a concentration ofnatural colour on the lower third of thepaper, where plants and flowers suchas hydrangea, ginger lily, celosia andchrysanthemum are depicted in a stylisedbut accurate way.Amongst the various birds are apaired pheasant and grouse, a motifsimilar to that found at Uppark,Dalemain and Felbrigg Hall.Only flora and fauna seenin contemporary papers areincluded. The slightly awkward

poses held by the birds, the naïveand ‘incorrect’ shadows andmodelling, the limited colour palette,

and the level of detailed brushwork,are characteristics ofChinese papersof this era.

Lacquer and JapanningThe magnificent Chinese lacquer screenin the Great Room, one of Lady Suffolk’spersonal possessions, would have beenmade to order in China. The armorial,or crest, situated in the top right cornerdisplays the arms of the Earls of Suffolkon the left, and the Hobart family onthe right (Lady Suffolk’s maiden name).Two such screens are known to haveexisted in the Great Room.The key ingredient for making truelacquer is the sap of the tree Rhusverniciflux. The sap could not be importedin its raw state, as it would dry out onthe journey. Although Europeans triedto copy the lacquer finish using localequivalents, they could not match thehard lustrous quality of the original, andinstead created a process calledJapanning. The English japanner used asize and whitening mixture which wasapplied in successive layers to the wood,

then blackened or coloured,varnished and polished.Japanned furniture becamevery popular and itemswere usually identifiedas ‘Japan’ whether theywere actually japannedor lacquered.

Look out for the lacquer cabinet inthe Red Bedroom. Often such cabinetswere made in Europe from importedlacquer panels from China which weresimply cut to size regardless of thepattern. Others were altered to fita room. This cabinet is set on a gildedstand made in England.European craftsmen continually lookedfor ways of imitating Chinese originalsusing new techniques. As early as 1660Thomas Allgood of Pontypool discovereda way of japanning on metal – whichbecame known as Pontypool Japan; twoexamples can be seen in the small teaand coffee containers in theWroughtRoom on the 2nd floor.

SilksSilk was probably the first exotic FarEastern material to arrive in Europe.Great quantities of Chinese silk passedalong the caravan trails of Central Asiafrom the days of the Roman Empire.Silk was unique to China and remainedso until the eggs of the mulberry silkmoth were smuggled into Rome in the6th century. Chinese silk cloth was usedfor luxurious dresses and waistcoats, andto decorate rooms. Raw silk was woven

into wall-hangings, like thoseyou can see in Lady Suffolk’sBedchamber.

Painted Chinese mirrorsAn unusual group of Chinese paintingson English glass may be seen in therooms on the 2nd floor. They reveal theremarkable cultural exchange that tookplace to produce Chinoiserie objects tocater for Western fashions. China didnot manufacture its own mirror glass.Mirrors made inVauxhall, London,wouldbe transported to Canton for Chineseartists there to decorate.

The mixing of styles and culturalinfluences central to Chinoiseriecontinues to be popular to this dayand, as at Marble Hill, often producessurprising and effective results. Thedecorative motifs of flowers, birds andoriental landscapes, which might seemfrivolous, lend sophistication and beauty;an exotic contrast to the classicalinteriors of a Palladian villa.

This lacquer screen is one of themost significant pieces of originalfurniture to have been found andreturned to Marble Hill.

As you walk through Marble Hill,look for the porcelain and lacquerfurniture evoking the Orient so belovedby Henrietta Howard. If you wish to readabout the objects in more detail, please lookfor the object folders on each floor.

PorcelainSince at least the 9th century, the Chinesehad exported porcelain to SoutheastAsia, India and the Middle East, but it wasonly with the arrival of the Portuguesein 1514 that they began to export largequantities to Europe. In the 18th century,porcelain became a key import for theEast India Company.Early Chinese pottery was mostly blueand white, and throughout the housemany of the chimney-pieces are displayedwith clusters of Chinese export porcelain.

In the 2nd floor Gallery, you can seea variety of English Delftware. Chinese ininspiration, it is actually tin-glazed pottery,much softer and creamier in colour thantrue porcelain. The secret of hard-pasteChinese porcelain lay in the essentialingredients – two types of decomposedgranite, kaolin (china clay) and petuntse(china stone) – and a kiln capable of firingat extremely high temperatures. Trueporcelain would not be made in Europeuntil 1715 at Meissen,Germany.

Also look out forthe tea service madein the StaffordshireNew Hall factoryabout 1810,which hasa Chinoiserie designand a motif unique toNew Hall – the knopon the lid of theteapot is modelledas a Chinese hat.

Chinoiserie in the House

Golden PheasantsPheasants were a popularmotif, commonly appearingon wallpapers, porcelainand, as here, on mirrors.

An Oriental BeautyThis mirror painting was produced in a Chineseworkshop by an artist who was probably copyingthe figure from a print, as the lady’s face has adistinctly European appearance.

Japanned bookcase, the legs designed toimitate bamboo.Bamboo was an importantChinese design motif and,within Chineseculture,was seen to represent the humanqualities of flexibility and patience.

LeftNew Hall teapot.Presented by the Rosemary andMonty Lazenby Bequest, through theNational Art Collections Fund 1988.

BelowOne of a pair of large Chinese jars;the decoration reflects the FamileVerte palette of colours, in which thedominant colour is a brilliant green.

BelowA plate of English Delftware, fromtheWilliam Kretchmer collection.Presented by his family through theNational Art Collections Fund 1986.

Lacquer cabinet inthe Red Bedroom.

Thomas Bromwich (d.1787) supplied theoriginal Chinese paper and organised itsinstallation. He traded from his workshop‘at the Golden Lyon on Ludgate Hill’, andhis invoice charges for ‘40 yds. of Linnonat 9d.1⁄2’ , ‘17 Quires of Paper, Paste andTack’, ‘62 Sheets of India Paper’, ‘135Yardsof Border’, and ‘47 days time in Hangingthe Room’.An expensive wallpaper would beprotected from damp by being stretchedon wooden battens slightly away from awall. This also meant the paper could betaken down intact. We followed the samemethod of installation as Bromwich andhis men when putting up the new paperin Spring 2006.

Firstly the walls were linedwith wooden battens of Idigbo timber.Native toWest Africa, Idigbo is atropical hardwood chosen becauseit is low in resin, tight-grained, andtherefore less likely to warp or twist.Linen was stretched and tacked onto thebattens, followed by lining paper, whichwas glued to the fabric. After five days’drying, the Chinese paper could beapplied with traditional starch-basedpaste. The bamboo border,supplied separately, was handcut by the paper hangerand pasted around the doors,dado and cornice edges.

Hanging the Paper

Highest qualityartists’ canvas isstretched acrossthe battens,followed by a liningpaper. It took twocarpenters fourdays to fix thebattens, and twoprofessionalconservators fourfurther days tohang the canvasand lining paper.

Once hung, eachsheet of theChinoiserie papermust be left for about20 minutes to allowthe underlying paperand canvas to absorbthe glue, before itsneighbouring sheetcan be applied.

©COPYRIGHTENGLISHHERITAGE2006