Fantastical scenes and creatures
Believed to have been commissioned for the house, the tapestries were created in the early 1700s in the London Soho workshop of John Vanderbank. The leading tapestry weaver of the period, Vanderbank was the first to introduce the style later known as ‘chinoiserie’ to tapestries.
Fascination with the East was widespread in the nineteenth century thanks to increased trade. Western craftsmen were keen to mimic the decoration of imported wares, and scenes from books of illustrated travel descriptions. The result was a hotch-potch of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Turkish cultural influences, creating fictionalised designs later known as ‘chinoiserie’.
The tapestries reflect Vanderbank’s romanticised and exaggerated European view of Asian art and culture. Monkeys, wild cats, enormous insects and birds are scattered across the textiles. There are beautiful pagodas, groups of figures in flowing robes with musical instruments, and fantastical deities. Set on a rich brown background, the tapestries imitated the popular imported Japanese and Chinese screens whose vibrant designs were carved into black lacquer.