Harewood House Wallpaper

One of the most amazing sights at the Winter Antiques Show was the Chinese wallpaper in the Mallett Antiques booth that dated from 1765! The paper depicting rural scenes of Chinese life was possibly commissioned by Edwin Lascelles as part of the decoration of the newly built Harewood House in Yorkshire.

According to the Harewood House website, "In 1988 roughly 20 sheets of rolled Chinese wallpaper were found in the outbuildings of Harewood House. Subsequent research has shown that the rolls form a complete scheme which is likely to have been installed in the Chintz Bedroom of Harewood House in 1769. In the mid 1990s the sheets of wallpaper were conserved to a level that would allow them to be stored for future use." And now they are for sale through Mallett and although they cost more than most American homes, they are very beautiful to look at! Enjoy!

The wallpaper conservator who is one of two people in Britain specialising in this type of work has said that the paper "is possibly the finest example of a Chinese wallpaper anywhere in the world."