Sidewall (France)

I wanted to share this unusual trompe l’oeil drapery wallpaper, where a length of fabric swags slightly then twists around another fabric swag, creating a diaper or trellis-like pattern. The fabric is adorned with a lace trim and tassels made of strung pearls. The bottom section of this panel is a wide border that shows the bottom of the curtain panels ending in graceful curves, centering on a pineapple finial. The repeating finials sit atop a broken pediment-type band that echoes the swags of the fabric. The drapery and tassels are printed over a brown background ornamented with stylized floral and anthemion motifs. The full drapery panel is then framed by an applied border, printed in matching colors, containing a row of strung beads followed by alternating stylized floral and foliate motifs on a striped ground. When you stop to analyze the different parts, there is a lot going on, but when you step back and take in the overall effect, it doesn’t look overly busy.

Drapery papers could be installed in a couple different ways. They would typically start beneath the crown molding and continue down the wall to the chair rail or depending on the use and furnishings of a room, could also extend down to the baseboards. Installing the panels above a chair rail offered some protection for the rather fragile block-printed wallpapers.

I have always found the drapery in this wallpaper to be a little awkward or stiff but have been equally fascinated by the exquisite rendering of the lace. The representation of the positive and negative aspects of the lace, and the way the printed shadows follow the overlapping transparency of the material, makes it truly believable. The strung pearl tassels add a further element of luxury, and maybe a little exoticism.

Sidewall (France); block-printed on handmade paper; H x W (a): 84 x 58.5 cm (33 1/16 x 23 1/16 in.); Gift of Josephine Howell; 1972-42-213-a/c