Art Talk: Chinese Wallpaper

Emile de Bruijn, Assistant National Curator of Decorative Arts with the National Trust, joins us to deliver a talk on the subject of Chinese wallpaper.

The interiors at Arundells include a spectacular Chinese panoramic wallpaper, depicting scenes from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West (Xiyou ji) and featuring Sun Wukong, the ‘Monkey King’. This wallpaper was commissioned as a gift for Sir Edward Heath by his private secretaries Peter Batey and Richard Burn. In fact, the appreciation of Chinese pictorial wallpaper has a long tradition in the British Isles. Emile de Bruijn will trace the history of this hybrid decorative product which combines Chinese and Western aesthetics by discussing various examples surviving in British country houses.

Emile de Bruijn studied Japanese at Leiden University, the Netherlands, and museology at Essex University, United Kingdom. He currently works as Assistant National Curator Decorative Art for the National Trust. Emile’s publications include Chinese Wallpaper in Britain and Ireland (2017).

Date: Thursday 27 March
Time: Talk begins at 2.30pm
Where: The Studio, Arundells, Cathedral Close, Salisbury.
Tickets: £15

Additional Details

There is no parking at Arundells, we recommend using city centre car parks.

All tickets are non refundable but you are very welcome to pass them on to friends or family if you are unable to attend.