This rare first edition set of Procession Chinois, circa 1815, was exhibited at the Winter Antiques Show in New York City. This paper was extraordinary, museum quality in fact, and a nearly complete set of panels.

Although the original maker of Procession Chinois is unknown, it remains a popular design and several wallpaper manufacturers have used the same images since the 1800s. These panels are genuine 19th century hand-blocked, pieced (joined sheets) panels, vetted by Jim Francis in his role as a judge at the show. (Jim has been the resident wallpaper authority at the show for the last decade.)

Sometime later, a client saw the screen at Sotheby’s and consulted with Scenic Wallpaper about the possibility of removing the wallpaper from the screen and reinstalling it in a residence. The team at Scenic Wallpaper went to Sotheby’s and inspected the paper to evaluate the prospect of a successful removal and reinstallation. They concluded that it was a calculated risk, that the paper might disintegrate as it was removed, but that it could possibly be removed and restored with the goal of later reinstallation.

It was a significant achievement to save this rare and valuable paper. The details in this paper are very fine. The architectural details on the pagodas are meticulously blocked, and you can see the expressions on the faces of the people in the scenes. Only in a first edition is this detail possible.

This was an almost complete set of Procession Chinois, but it was missing eight panels of one desirable scene, so the decision was made to have that missing scene recreated by contemporary wallpaper artisans located in China.

Scenic Wallpaper researched the missing scene with their extensive collection of books on scenic wallpapers and provided detailed images of the missing scene to the artisans. But before the artisan could begin, paper had to be sourced which matched the original paper as closely as possible. This was a complicated process, requiring some long weeks of sourcing materials for client approval.

Both the antique and the new panels were eventually shipped to Chicago. John and his assistants diligently re-installed this antique Procession Chinois wallpaper in a Gold Coast Townhouse. The paper was extremely fragile because of its previous installation on the screen, but the time and care taken during removal paid off, and the panels were successfully reinstalled in the new location along with the additional section eighteen months after the project began.

The last step in the restoration process was artwork. The artist touched up some damaged areas of the paper,  extended the pattern over the doors and windows, and worked on the joins between the old and new panels, completing a beautiful reinstallation of this lovely antique paper.

See a later restoration we completed of another first edition Procession Chinois here.

See more of our Antique Wallpaper restorations here.