This graceful chinoiserie print was discovered in a small room in the Noble Hardee Mansion in Savannah, Georgia, which has been described as “the last unrestored grand mansion in Savannah”. The house dates back to 1860, and the aged hand-printed paper is thought to have been installed by a decorator who owned the house in the 1960s or 1970s. The paper has widely been attributed to Scalamandré, and it became a mission of ours to bring it back to life, as wallcovering with a matching cotton chintz fabric. It was photographed in sections on-site, redrawn line for line, and matched for its original color of white and grey leaves against an espresso ground. The grandly scaled, nearly four-foot repeat and classic bamboo foliage speak to its adaptation from antique hand-painted Chinese silk wall panels, interpreted in a loose brushstroke style that is typical of more contemporary handprints. New color additions such as Jade and Ciel add a fresh look to this timeless design. Now printed on a 54" nonwoven ground, this mural-like paper features crisp printing, deeply saturated color, and easily paste–wall installation.
