The rooms of the Chinese Pavilion
The Chinese Pavilion was built in the middle of the 1700s, a period in European history when chinoiserie was the height of fashion. Today, the pavilion houses one of the finest remaining examples of such an interior.
A good example of this is the Yellow Room, with Chinese lacquer-panel insets in the walls. Lacquer work was particularly fascinating at the time as this type of craftsmanship did not exist in Europe.
The walls not only show an example of exotic craftsmanship but also provide a picture of relations between Asia and Europe 300 years ago.
Here the city of Kanton on the Yellow river is portrayed. On the banks the European companies trading stations can be seen, cut off from the city by double city walls – walls that intended to keep unauthorized people at a distance not least the Europeans.
The first pavilion, a prefabricated building, was erected here in 1753 as a birthday present to Queen Lovisa Ulrika. It was built in a Chinese-inspired style which at that time was the height of fashion in Europe.
Exotic allusions
The present building replaced it ten years later. The Chinese Pavilion combines the European Rococo with exotic allusions to China.
An inventory of the collections was compiled in 1777, when Drottningholm passed into the hands of the State.
Most of the items described in the inventory still occupy their original places, making the Chinese Pavilion one of the most authentic instances of 18th century European chinoiserie.
You can walk round the Chinese Pavilion by yourself, but if you want to broaden your knowledge there is a free audio guided tour available in your smart phone.
External link.
Photo: Alexis Daflos/Royalpalaces.se
The Yellow Room. To the left is the Embroidered Room, named after its embroidered wall panels. To the right is the Green Gallery. Photo: Alexis Daflos/Royalpalaces.se
The Embroidered Room. The exquisitely coloured rooms are home to a wealth of Chinese craftsmanship, including porcelain, lacquerwork and silk. Photo: Alexis Daflos
The staircase to the upper floor leads into the Octagonal Room. The walls are lined with mid-18th century Chinese silk wallpaper. Photo: Alexis Daflos/Royalpalaces.se
The Green Room. The Chinese Pavilion was built in the middle of the 1700s, a period in European history when chinoiserie was the height of fashion. Photo: Alexis Daflos/Royal Palace
The Green Room at the Chinese Pavilion, one of fifteen rooms described in the audioguide. Photo: Royalpalaces.se
