Anne Allen and Jean Pillement

I slipped into New York last week to see both my sister and the exhibit, China: Through the Looking Glass, at the Met.  Friends who had seen the exhibit told me that I would flip for it, and they were right.  The clothes, the blue and white porcelain, the film clips...it was a feast for the eyes.  But for all of the dazzling dresses and the mesmerizing projected scenes from Anna May Wong movies, it was two inconspicuous-looking pieces that especially enchanted me: a pair of late 18th-century, Chinoiserie-style etchings done by Anne Allen.  According to their identification labels, the designs of both etchings were "after Jean Pillement."

Not being familiar with Allen, I Googled her once I returned home.  I learned that Allen, who was British by birth but a resident of France, was not only a skilled etcher but also the second wife of Jean Pillement, the artist whose fantastical paintings and illustrations of Chinese scenes captured the fancy of a Chinoiserie-mad Europe.  During the 1790s, in what must have been a joint-effort to market Pillement's work to a wider audience, Allen created etchings based on her husband's paintings, and by using the à la poupée style of printmaking (click here if you wish to learn more about it),  she was able to bring these delicate etchings to colorful life.  The prints were then assembled into a series of books, or cahiers, which were eagerly purchased by Pillement-fanciers and, most especially, porcelain, textile, and wallpaper manufacturers, who enthusiastically incorporated Pillement's capricious scenes into their own work.

Allen's etchings can be found in the collections of numerous museums, which is hardly surprising considering that her etchings, and the cahiers, were printed in volume so as to accommodate a large audience.  When you look at the images of her work below, you'll see that there are minor differences between the museums' classifications, although I think these differences are a matter of style rather than substance.  And, you'll also notice that in addition to the Chinoiserie scenes, Allen also etched her husband's floral renderings, which are just as colorful as their Chinoiserie counterparts though a lot less fanciful.


Image at top:  Chinoiserie from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers Arabesques Chinois, 1790-1799, in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chinoiserie from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers de Dessins Chinois, 1790-1799, in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chinoiserie from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers Arabesques Chinois, 1790-1799, in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ornamental Design from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers Chinois no. 3, after 1775, in the collection of Cooper Hewitt

Title page from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers Chinois, after 1775, in the collection of Cooper Hewitt

Chinese Arabesque with man kneeling beneath a double-roofed tent, from Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers chinois, no. 2, 1798, collection of Princeton University Art Museum


 

Chinoiserie Flowers, from Nouvelle suite de Cahier de Fleurs idéales, late 18th c., collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Fantastic Flowers, 1790s, in the collection of the Davis Museum at Wellesley College

Shopping at Ainsworth-Noah

A few weeks ago, I spent a blissful hour wandering through the Ainsworth-Noah showroom at ADAC while pining over most of what I saw. (In case you're not familiar with them, Hal Ainsworth and Winton Noah founded their ADAC showroom years ago.) You see, I have never visited their showroom without finding something that I couldn't live without. I believe that what I'm most drawn to is the way in which they mix the new "stuff" with the old. They carry lines like Nancy Corzine, Jasper/Michael S. Smith, Ironies, Cameron Collection, and Vaughan, as well as fabric and wallpaper collections including Bennison, de Gournay, Victoria Hagan, Rose Tarlow, and Robert Kime, just to name a few. But amongst these collections you'll find a great antique lamp, old porcelain, or some other interesting piece that Hal and Winton have purchased during their travels abroad.

What's funny is that as I started writing this post, I realized that all of my photos summarize everything that I love in design: Chinoiserie; Greek Key; tortoise; painted furniture; blue and white porcelain; and the arrow motif. It seems that Hal and Winton are just as enthusiastic about these things as I!


I did not take photos of all of the amazing fabrics and wallcoverings that Ainsworth-Noah carry because that is a post in and of itself. Visit their showroom or website to see the full range of lines that they represent. Or, you can telephone them at (800) 669-3512.




A Chinese figure by John Rosselli. His female companion sits on the opposite side of the doorway.




These antique doors have graced the entryway of the showroom for years. The faux deer head is a nice touch.




Not just any obelisk, but one with decorative painting. This one is part of a pair.




This Ironies fixture is quite stunning.





An unusual quatrefoil mirror by Mclain Wiesand.






I have been visiting these Bagues sconces at Ainsworth-Noah for a few years now. I think they are some of the most beautiful sconces that I have ever seen.





I never met a faux tortoise that I didn't like. I'm crazy for this faux tortoise drinks table by Mclain Wiesand as well as their tortoise mirror.




Yet another crystal lamp that I want! I need! for my home.




What a charming antique painted bench. I think that more people should use painted furniture in their homes.






This stool caught my eye, perhaps because of those brass paw feet.




I couldn't resist taking a photo of this vintage table with arrow legs.




We all recognize this lemon basin set by P.E. Guerin. Inspired by a set once owned by Pauline de Rothschild, Charlotte Moss had Guerin reproduce the lemon set for use in the powder room at the late, great Townhouse.




You know I love a Greek Key, especially this Greek Key basin by P.E. Guerin.




An antique faux-marbre painted column cabinet. The door handle is a small metal hand holding a bar.





One of my very favorite things at Ainsworth-Noah: this de Gournay wallpaper. Is this stunning or is this stunning?!



Blue and white is always right.

All photos copyright The Peak of Chic/Jennifer Boles

Perfection

This 1936 photo of a cocktail room stopped me dead in my tracks. (Yes, we can just stop the post right here. A cocktail room. How utterly fantastic and so very civilized. I'm going to call my living room a cocktail room from now on because it is where the cocktails are drunk in my home.) Everything about this room sums up what I love best: Chinoiserie; a mural; cocktails; a dark floor (perhaps linoleum or some type of composite?) with what appears to be metal inlay.

The mural was painted by Allyn Cox, famous for his murals at the US Capitol. You may also remember my post about the Peacock Mansion here in Atlanta with its Allyn Cox mural in the dining room (see below). How I wish the cocktail room photo were in color, but here is a description of the room:

A corner of a cocktail room in a house in Glencoe, Illinois, with murals by Allyn Cox. The background is pale yellow, the figures are a luminous blue-white, with black touches in hair and shoes. The room itself is done in grey, with splashes of vermilion.

Perfection. Enough said.


The dining room of the Goodrum House (aka the Peacock Mansion) with its Allyn Cox mural.

Harrison Howard Has Been Hard at Work

My favorite painter of Chinoiserie scenes, Harrison Howard, has just updated his site with new works including one of my favorites, "The Architect", which is seen above. Harrison's paintings and prints are like instant mood lifters to me. How can one not be charmed by scenes with books, curtains, trellis, pagodas, butterflies, and coral? Not to mention those hard working figures who are busy painting, arranging curtains, and crab baiting. And I thought blogging kept me busy!

I've included a sampling of Harrison's work, but do visit his website to see more Chinoiserie scenes.


"The Two Gardeners"


"Bibliophile"


"The Dowry"


"Crab Baiting"


"Arranging Drapery"

Chinese Scenic Paper

As of late, some of the most popular handpainted wallpapers seem to be those bird, flower, and tree prints by de Gournay (see above) and Gracie. Certainly they are lovely, easy to live with, and quite elegant too. And if someone wanted to make a donation of this paper to my home, I would not refuse. However, what I wish to see more of is the colorful, exuberant scenic Chinese paper that once adorned some of America's finest homes.



Of course Winterthur's Chinese Parlor is one of the most famous rooms in America. The Chinese paper was painted between 1775 and 1800 is known as "Pastimes and Leisure Scenes of Chinese Life" because it depicts scenes of Chinese people strolling through gardens and studying. Henry Francis Du Pont obtained the paper from designer Nancy McClelland in 1928. Because the paper panels were 12 feet long, Du Pont had to create a room tall enough to accommodate the paper's length.


A detail of the Chinese Parlor's paper.


Henry Davis Sleeper purchased this scenic paper in the early 20th century for his summer home Beauport. In what is called The China Trade Room, the paper depicts both the rice and the porcelain trades. The paper dates back to late 18th century when it was originally imported from China by the Philadelphia banker Robert Morris, although Morris never used the panels. The paper remained crated until it was discovered in the early 1900s.


Even Billy Baldwin had an appreciation for this paper in this 1950s era room that he designed.

What I've also noticed is that gloriously unrestrained architectural details and valances seem to go hand in hand with this colorful Chinese paper. There is often fretwork molding, pagoda pediments over doorways and windows, and scrolled pelmets that decorate these Chinese themed rooms. Unfortunately, papering an entire room in scenic wallpaper can be rather expensive, and some people might be apprehensive about having that much color and pattern on one's walls. However, what about framing a panel or two to hang on the walls? At the very least, I might be tempted to copy some of those wonderful valances for my windows.


(Image at top courtesy of de Gournay. Chinese Parlor photo #1 from Winterthur's flickr photostream; Chinese Parlor photo #2 from HOUSE AND GARDEN'S NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION: FIFTH EDITION). Beauport photo from their website. Billy Baldwin photo from House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration.)

In a Chinoiserie State of Mind

I certainly do not need any reminders that Chinoiserie is my favorite style. Still, I couldn't help but notice that it has been on my mind more often than usual. Just in the last week I've been thinking about these items:


My new black linen hand towels with a coral, Chinois monogram on them. I can't wait to use these at my next party. (Hand towels from Gramercy Fine Linen. This great linen shop is a block up the street from my home...meaning I will be getting into a lot of linen trouble.)


While flipping through a circa 1980 magazine, I found this old Tiffany ad. I wonder if they still produce this clock? If not, they really should.


I'm considering buying a copy of Cecil Beaton's Chinese Album, mainly for the dust jacket. And because what I just wrote makes me feel guilty, I will end up reading the book too.


And, I was checking out Charlotte Moss' "Virginia" AirEssence Diffuser. Why? Because her "Virginia" fragrance smells divine; I love the decanter with the Chinoiserie pagoda stopper on it; and, I think I'm the only person in the world who has not yet tried one of these stick diffuser systems!


Image at top: Dancing Figure Holding a Mask, part of a series designed by Jean-Baptiste Pillement, c. 1759. Image courtesy of The Getty.

The Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm

As I'm traveling this week, I wanted to leave you with something beautiful and felt that these images would fit the bill. Here is the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm, Sweden, courtesy of World of Interiors, May 1996. Built for Queen Louisa Ulrika in 1753, this paean to Chinoiserie is located on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace. It was also an early prefab structure, being built in Stockholm and assembled on location at Drottningholm.

You will see all of the usual suspects that were found in most Chinese pavilions: Chinese porcelain, Chinoiserie murals, and Chinese textiles. Still, the pavilion, restored to its former glory in the early 1990s, is a sight to behold. What strikes me the most is the vibrant, rich color found throughout the pavilion. Each room is a different color- perhaps not unusual for that time, but certainly worth noting today with many contemporary homes having only one or two colors in its interiors. Do you think people today would be bold enough to make such a colorful statement?


Rich red walls are the perfect backdrop for the Rococo chairs that are covered in painted silk taffeta.


The bedchamber with mauve moire and silver galloon covered walls. The pictures are 19th century and are made of fabric, bone, and feathers.


The Yellow Cabinet retains the original painted Chinese silk wallcovering. The fabric on the chairs is a copy of that on the walls. The porcelain figures of a man and woman have nodding heads, and note that the hair on the female figure is real human hair.


An image of the Blue Salon looking into the Green Gallery.


The Library with a collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain. The salmon pink walls and the green trim is such a striking combination.

Image at top: The Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm Palace. Photographer Jacques Dirand.