This sheet of English wallpaper, which can be dated by the Duty stamp on the reverse to circa 1750, is a rare example of the vividly hand-coloured English wallpaper referred to by J B Jackson in his book of 1754. British manufacturers from the 1760s produced single-sheet papers of this kind, with fanciful Western interpretations of Chinese motifs. They were intended as a cheaper alternative to the fashionable, but expensive, hand-painted wallpapers imported from China by the East India Company. The composition suggests that this paper was designed to be joined end to end with identical sheets to form a frieze-like decoration, possibly for a music room. The wallpaper was produced and sold uncoloured and was subsequently coloured before pasting.
The V&A Museum in London owns another sheet of this wallpaper design.