The Toilet of the Princess (from a pair of Indo-Chinese scenes)
John Vanderbank the Elder|Great Wardrobe|Unknown
1690–1715 · Wool, silk (19-20 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
In the 1690s the London weaver John Vanderbank supplied nine tapestries in the "Indian Manner" to Kensington Palace, perhaps to complement the vast Asian porcelain collection of Queen Mary II. The Toilet of the Princess is likely similar to that royal commission. Such tapestries were made in sets of varying size, depending on the dimensions of the room they were meant to adorn. As many as fifty variations of tapestries featuring compositions with Asian and Indian characters atop little floating islands were made in England, attesting to their popularity. Placing the scattered vignettes against a dark background was inspired by lacquer panels imported from Japan and China.
- Artist
- John Vanderbank the Elder|Great Wardrobe|Unknown
- Date
- 1690–1715
- Medium
- Wool, silk (19-20 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.)
- Culture
- British, London
- Department
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. George F. Baker, 1953
