PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Task of conservation. Case studies
5.4.4. Princess’ writing room.
Situation preceding conservation
A small room next to the large salon was used as the princess’
writing room. In 1810 it was supposedly used by Empress Maria
Ludovika as a bedroom. 438
This room has remarkable wood panelling and shutters that
are painted in a shade of blue.
Inventory material provided by Mrs. Margit Kopp, a researcher
working in the palace, describes hand-painted Chinese or
“Indian” wall covers depicting “Indian” figures, flowers and
trees (“Ausspaliert aber mit Indianischen Papier von allerhand
gemahlenen Indianischen Figuren, Blumwerk, und Bäumen” 439 in
1762) or with wallpapers depicting Chinese seaports (”Spallier
von Papier Chinesische Seehäfen vorstellen” 440 in 1818). According
to the inventory material from 1762, the salon formed a whole,
an ensemble with an adjacent dressing room (Toilette-Zimmer),
which has not survived. Both of them were designed in the same
manner, having blue lacquered panellings, including window
hatches and doors. The walls of the dressing room were covered
with various big and small “Indian” pictures (“mit unterschiedlichen
Indianischen groß und kleinen Bildern” 441 ).
Seven pieces of rare hand-painted silk wall covers were
stored in the archive of the Esterházy Palace. Each piece had
been framed by a narrow black border, of which only fragments
had survived. The border was embellished with a geometric chinoiserie
ornament in gold and various berries and blossoms.
Before the conservation treatment, the walls of the study
had been covered with light blue moire or watered silk and
embellished with a ribbon in matching tone. (Fig. 149) Since no
information except for the short historical descriptions of the
chinoiserie wallpapers could be found, a new concept of wall
decoration needed to be developed.
438
Schloss Esterházy, Das Appartement der Fürstin, accessed January 5, 2013,
http://esterhazy.at/de/ausstellungen/696330/Das-Appartement-der-Fuerstin.
439
Margit Kopp, e-mail message to author, October 25, 2011.
440
Ibidem.
441
Ibidem.
266