FOUR CHINESE WALLPAPER PANELS 19th century (4)THE RICHARD KELTON COLLECTIONFOUR CHINESE WALLPAPER PANELS19th centuryPolychrome paint on paper, backed with cloth and mounted on wood panels, each panel with flowering trees, insects and exotic birds surrounding figures in a garden setting. 138 x 45in (350 x 114cm), each panel (4).外銷花鳥人物壁紙四幅　十九世紀　Provenance:Sotheby's, New York, 23 April 1987來源紐約蘇富比，1987年4月23日，拍品編號Large format pictorial wallpaper panels such as these were produced in workshops in Guangdong and the Yangtze River Delta during the early 18th century. It is believed that panels like these were produced solely for export to the European market, and the domestic demand was essentially non-existent. Initially, the colorful, hand-painted panels were sought by Europeans as a less expensive alternative to patterned textiles that were then used as wall coverings in noble homes. Often depicting outdoor garden settings of exotic birds and flowers that would stretch from floor to ceiling, the wallpaper would be a key decorative element for a 'Chinese room'. The figures depicted in the present set of wallpaper panels are unusually large, especially when compared with other pictorial Chinese wallpaper panels that have a figural element. For an overview of the reception of Chinese wallpaper see Chinese Wallpaper in Britain and Ireland by Emile de Bruijn. -