What is the history of Antique wallpaper ?
It can be said: the first ancient wallpapers
do not belong to the history of wall art decoration, but to that of bibliophily, since they
concern the ornamentation of books; they are called "dominoté papers". The term "domino"
comes
from Italian and means "cap, envelope, mask". The first mentions in texts of the profession
of
domino maker appear in the second half of the 13th century. The practice was soon regulated:
we
learn that the dominoes were involved in ornamental work in the margins by intervening on
the
lettering, the cul-de-lamp and other bands. This is why, in most cases, these antique
decorations presented geometric and floral
patterns.
As such, the dominoes are not considered as artists and are attached to the corporation of
cartiers. In addition, and in order to protect printers and publishers, dominotiers were not
allowed to use printing type. Concretely, they have the right to make all kinds of images
like
marbled papers, fancy papers, playing cards, board games and .... wallpapers! That's why
dominoterie is considered the first manifestation of the old panoramic wallpaper; the
dominoté
papers are decorated with geometric and floral patterns designed on the principle "of the
connection": assembled one and another, these dominoté papers form a continuous and
repetitive
creation. They are then called "hanging papers" or "tapestry papers". During the XVIIIth
century,
Around 1750, the first
antique wallpapers appeared on the walls in England. In 1763, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon opened
a
wallpaper factory in Paris. Today, Papiers de Paris offers you the opportunity to discover
our
re-editions of the most beautiful designs and models of this historical factory, but not
only.
As a specialist in vintage and old style wallpaper, we propose to bring to life all your
creative desires.
Oriental inspired antique panoramic wallpapers
Among the particularly
popular antique wallpapers are those inspired by Indian and Asian civilizations. This
oriental
source of inspiration was largely encompassed in what was called chinoiserie.
This type of
decoration with a lot of floral ornaments was particularly fashionable in the 18th and early
19th centuries; however, at that time, it was more a question of tontisses rather than
wallpapers (tontisses are panels made up of particles of colored leaves, chopped up and
fixed by
a mordant on a canvas following a pattern). From now on, the precision of the
top-of-the-range
digital printing of our workshops located in the center of France, allows you to benefit
fully
from the warmth and the beauty of this type of decoration, like our , for an
excellent quality-price ratio. Among our references inspired by this inescapable style of
the
history of antique panoramic wallpaper, we suggest you discover "Chinoiserie
18ème". This
chinoiserie represents a decoration made up mainly of branches populated with peacocks,
pheasants and other very colorful birds with, in the lower part, small picturesque
characters.
This creation was originally installed in the apartment of Pierre Bergé and Yves
Saint-Laurent;
for our reissue, we have solicited Delphine Neny, Best Craftsman of France, in order to
offer
you the most faithful copy that is.
Antique style wallpapers that replicate antique decor
Another style of antique wallpapers was particularly in vogue in the 18th century: the one
that reproduced antique decorations and more specifically antic &
neoclassic decors. This fashion
inherited
from the ancient world is explained by the rediscovery and excavation of the cities of
Herculaneum and Pompeii (respectively excavated from 1738 and 1748). The rediscovery during
the
18th century of Roman cities, buried in 79 AD by the eruption of Vesuvius, remarkably
preserved
had unprecedented repercussions on the knowledge that we then had of the ancient world and
led
to a real craze in terms of decoration and ornamentation, so much so that we sought to
reproduce
on the walls the most beautiful decorations of these exceptional homes as that of the Villa
of
the Mysteries of Pompeii. More widely, the fashion was then for grotesques; grotesques are
in
fact purely ornamental decorations composed of somewhat strange subjects, animals and
fantastic
characters, leafy scrolls as columns... Why are they called that? This is explained by the
context of the discovery of these decorations towards the end of the 15th century: painted
on
the walls of Roman houses buried for centuries and rediscovered buried, these houses made
contemporaries think of caves. Among the most popular houses, we find the palace of Nero:
the
famous Domus aurea. If you too would like to decorate your home or hotel with this type of
decoration, it is quite possible thanks to Papiers de Peints and our reproductions of
ancient
style wallpapers such as with our model "The
Four Seasons - Spring - Decorative Panel".
The republishing of antique wallpapers: a specialty of Papiers de Paris
We have made the
reproduction
of antique wallpapers our specialty and our trademark. Thanks to digital printing,
Papiers de Paris can bring back to life the most beautiful decors created during the past
centuries, and this, for an affordable price. For example, we suggest you discover our
antique
panoramic wallpapers inspired by the 18th century. This is the case of "In
the Country": this late 18th century panoramic painted on paper board. It shows a
charming country scene with walkers, a horseman or even dogs.
Practical information about our Antique wallpapers
Making this kind of reproduction or new prints of antique
wallpapers can seem complcated but this is our speciality so we can assist at any step of
the
project . We deliver our vintage wallpapers, wether in standard or custom sizes, in every
country with courriers like UPS. Do you want to know more about our creations and
manufacturing
methods? Do not hesitate to contact us.
lire aussi notre article antique
wallpapers of French Museum of decorative arts
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