Designs for an adult coloring book or at least you could do that once you buy the biggest box you can find of Crayola crayons. Imagery from “A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . .” Printed for the author, John Stalker, in Oxford England in 1688. Digital collections of the New York Public Library.

Drawings and sketches 3 Minutes
The Lidd of a Powder Box – The Lidd of a Patch Box Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8f7dec50-c6bb-012f-ac35-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
Other Patterns for Powder Boxes – Other Patterns for Patch Boxes. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8fcc6930-c6bb-012f-ea35-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
Cloth brushes; combe brushes; a pincushion; trunks for pendants, necklaces, rings, and jewels. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/90753cb0-c6bb-012f-ff04-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
The top of a 12 inch frame for a looking glass for Japan work; the bottom of ye said frame. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/90d0ade0-c6bb-012f-97f0-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
For ye top or lid of a combe box. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/91cd4860-c6bb-012f-d42b-58d385a7bc34
Design of birds and insects. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/92120120-c6bb-012f-d8b2-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
Design of tree; bird in one tree. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9309db80-c6bb-012f-8196-58d385a7bc34
Design of flowering plant. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/93659e00-c6bb-012f-8c84-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
Design of monkeys, rabbits, stags, bird. Engraved on a copper plate. from John Stalker’s 1688 work A treatise of japaning and varnishing . . . Printed for the author in Oxford, England. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9407e6d0-c6bb-012f-f068-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0

They have an Oriental influence but not from the arrival of the first Chinese ambassador to Great Britain who arrived in the mid 1870s during the reign of Queen Victoria. But before that French Queen Marie-Antoinette owned a valuable collection of Japanese lacquerware including a small hen shaped tiered box from the Edo period. And before that Chinese goods reached European markets from the Silk Road (which the current New Silk Road Initiative is named for).

These images are designs for Japanning work which was developed in Europe to imitate Asian lacquerware of the kind Marie Antoinette collected.

Published by sarahbguestperry

On a voyage to see how much mileage I can get from the creative ability and eye for images that my family thought was useless. On line art curator, fiction writer and now blogger. Historian's daughter. Follow me . . .even I have no idea where I'm going next.

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