Chinese wallpaper with funeral procession, ca. 1780

In the 4th century, paper wallpaper appeared in China. Its precursors were embroidered silk tapestries. These had already adorned the walls of the nobility and upper class since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.). In the 16th century, paper wallpaper also reached Europe, where it became a luxury item, often decorating the interiors of castles and mansions. The Chinese wallpaper shown here in parts was created at the end of the 18th century and shows in its entirety a funeral ceremony.

Chinese Wallpaper showing a funeral procession, painting on paper, ca. 1780, unknown artist, photographer: Dr. Meierhofer; image source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KA-Tapete-Beerdigung05.JPG,  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.