A Taste for China

A scene with houses, rocks, pine and bamboo. The wig stand is decorated with Chinese motifs commonly seen in traditional Chinese paintings, but also with more imaginary depictions of men in Asian costumes, as well as various scenes. From the early 17th century onwards, in step with wig culture, European elites developed a taste for imitations of Chinese art. This style is now known as ‘chinoiserie’, a word first used by novelist Honoré de Balzac in 1836. A comparison with the depiction of bamboo and pines on porcelains produced in China illustrates that Chinoiserie was very much its own style, tailored to contemporary European tastes (figs. 6-9). But the decorations are not the only aspect of this stand that reflected an elite taste for China…