Eden

This illustration is taken from one of the most remarkable French panoramic wallpapers, produced in 1861 by the Desfossé Manufacture.

Paradisio Imaginarium brings to life illustrations from the 18th and 19th centuries drawn from the exceptional collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Part of France’s decorative heritage, these historic works have required hundreds of hours of meticulous reconstruction and restoration. This painstaking process has allowed us to bring our own sensibility to this magnificent design through a carefully considered palette of new nuances and colours.

L’Éden truly lives up to its name. A vision of an earthly paradise, this luxuriant landscape reveals an idealised natural world where mountains, deep forests, flower-filled waterfalls and abundant vegetation create a realm without seasons or boundaries.

Inspired by the great botanical discoveries of the 19th century, the composition brings together species from across the world: Indian lotuses, Amazonian bromeliads, Peruvian amaryllis, Japanese hydrangeas, palms, cedars and oaks coexist within a dreamlike universe where nature becomes an endless source of wonder.

Manufacture: Desfossé
Collection: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Photographic credit: MAD Paris / Jean Tholance
Inventory no.: 52450