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Lot Essay
Chinoiserie scenes of this type on 18th century tapestries, with a whimsical use of scattered 'Chinese' figures and plants, are generally attributed to the John Vanderbanc (d. 1717) Soho workshop in Great Queen Street, London. They were woven between the 1690s and 1717 when Vanderbanc headed the workshop. The tapestries incorporate Turkish, Indian, but also European figures that were inspired by Oriental lacquer screens and are usually on a dark brown and rarely yellow ground. The first mention of these tapestries 'after the Indian Manner'. Aside from Vanderbanc rare versions are also known by Joshua Morris and by the largely unrecorded weaver Michael Mazarind.
The skilled designer of these subjects was well aware of Oriental lacquer screens as he employed the same reduction of the sizes of figures towards the top. He also managed to combine figures from various cultures to form a unified 'Chinese' appearance. There were about forty differing small scenes that could be combined in any way and that could be adjusted to any size. This indifference to the subject and great adaptability appears to have greatly contributed to the success of the series.
The skilled designer of these subjects was well aware of Oriental lacquer screens as he employed the same reduction of the sizes of figures towards the top. He also managed to combine figures from various cultures to form a unified 'Chinese' appearance. There were about forty differing small scenes that could be combined in any way and that could be adjusted to any size. This indifference to the subject and great adaptability appears to have greatly contributed to the success of the series.