Phoenix and Butterflies Chinoiserie Screen at Brighton Pavilion Gardens

Print description

The Phoenix ascends over the Brighton Pavilion among Asian butterflies. A few years ago I created a design with South Asian dragons flying over the Brighton Pavilion. Now adding to the theme I have created this new lavish print with another Pavilion resident, the phoenix.

Print details

I created this print from my original ink drawings to which I apply colour digitally. Printed on fine art paper using archival inks. I issue the formats A0, A1 & A2,A3 and A4  as limited editions of 100 where I individually sign and number each print.

Phoenix Art

The interior of Brighton Royal Pavilion is populated with many mythological creatures and among them you can see in almost every room many extraordinary phoenix birds: painted on wood panels, on framed canvases, on luxurious carpets, gold velvety painted wallpapers and more. This print echoes one phoenix in particular: the one found on the Saloon carpet, the original design of which was commissioned by King George IV, designed by Robert Jones, and made by Samuel Whitty of Axminster, Devon, for the Saloon in 1822

Butterflies. 18th century Chinese hand painted wallpaper

My vision sets this living entity free in the sky above the colourful onion domes, crenelations, tent roofs and finials of the Royal Pavilion, surrounded by playful butterflies.

These butterflies echo the design found on the Chinese wallpaper in Queen Victoria’s Bedroom at the Pavilion which was probably produced by anonymous makers in Canton (present-day Guangzhou), China, near western trading ports along the waterfront, and imported into Europe by the East India Company. ​It depicts exotic indoor gardens with patterns showing flowers, trees, birds and stylised gardens, ​and butterflies.

​Wallpaper border

I have framed my design with a beautiful border motif also found in the Pavilion’s Music Room Gallery. Dated late 18th or early 19th century, this grey-ground Chinese paper was probably made in Canton (present-day Guangzhou), China. It is framed with cut-out strips of English block-printed bamboo patterned wallpaper and an English block-printed floral border.