What is Chinoiserie?

C H I N O I S E R I E is a French word that means “in the Chinese taste” and describes a European decorative style that was wildly popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. For wealthy Europeans, owning artifacts from the Far East was a status symbol and owning a piece of Chinoiserie was en vogue.

It all began with M a r c o   P o l o  in the thirteenth century, a time only a few people travelled the world. Exotic goods reached Europe via a trading route known as the Silk Road, which carried goods across the entire Asian continent. Marco Polo was the first westerner to travel to China for 17 years. Returning to Italy in 1295 he published what he had seen, but people didn’t believe him and called his experiences “the million lies”.

The S i l k   R o a d  was connecting the major cultures of the world. Japan and China were highly sophisticated cultures with a long history of art. In fact, in the 8th century, when Europe was in the D a r k   A g e s ,  Chinese artists were inventing Impressionism! 

Chinoiserie i s   a c t u a l l y   n o t   f r o m   C h i n a   a t   a l l. As more people could afford decorative goods, European artisans were hired to create designs “in the Chinese taste” to meet the growing demand. The result was pure fantasy, blending Chinese, Japanese, Persian or Indian elements.

Chinoiserie motive

Chinoiserie is displayed in a tremendous variety of 'Oriental' scenes and decorative f a n t a s i e s on textiles, wallpapers, porcelain, and furniture. Details are intricately detailed pagodas, Indian palaces, layer upon layer of fretwork, tassels, and monkeys, lions, and elephants. The major decorative pieces are Fu Dogs, fretwork screens, bamboo chairs and pagoda lamps. Have a look at my previous post to see a masterpiece in Chinoiserie elegance,  Claydon House.

George III carved giltwood rococo chimney, 1755

Chinoiserie pieces have the u n i q u e   a b i l i t y   to   l o o k   r i g h t  with many different decorating styles. In fact, if you love to decorate with Chinoiserie artifacts, you create a home with the message: “Here are living well-travelled and sophisticated people”. 

Mixing contemporary styles with Chinoiserie speaks about who you are, where you’ve been, and where you hope to go.