My CartNo products
- LA PREMIUM finish ideal for walls, kitchen and bathroom
- L’EXTRA finish ideal for woodwork
panoramic wallpapers
decorative wallpapers
samples
Paint
Candles and refills
Stationery and boards
Wallpaper New Heloise . 18th century
Unknown workshop
115,00 €
This floral wallpaper adorns the walls of Madame de Warens' bedroom (Charmettes house, Chambéry), who was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's protector and emotional companion during his early years. this Indian chintz pattern is composed of roses, lilacs and other flowers on a yellow/pale pink background. It is a typical 18th century pattern that sought softness and naturalness. It was originally block-printed onto a base of brushed, joined sheets of paper.
This floral and feminine decor is called "New Heloise" in homage to the novel "Julie or the New Heloise" in which Rousseau recounts the absolute and impossible love between Julie and Saint-Preux which is reminiscent of his own fusional and formative attachment to Madame de Warens, then his late and idealized love for Madame d'Houdetot.
Collection from the House of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Les Charmettes (City of Chambéry)
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LEAD TIMES, click here
The workshop that produced this wallpaper is unfortunately unknown. The city of Chambéry, owner of the Maison des Charmettes, has initiated a campaign to restore the house's wallpapers over the past 50 years. This floral wallpaper in Madame de Warens' bedroom was indeed removed and restored around 1975. Taken down from the walls in 2017, it was then lined with pink lining paper, mounted on heavy linen canvas, and finally attached to flat plywood strips placed around the perimeter of each panel (at the level of the border). The missing motifs were completed directly onto the lining paper.
XVIIIe s
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was 16 years old when he met Madame de Warens in Annecy in 1728. He had fled Geneva, his birthplace, and a difficult childhood marked by the death of his mother and an absent father. Born into the Swiss nobility, Madame de Warens became his protector and embodied a maternal figure for him. He called her "mum," she called him "Honey" a term not without ambiguity, as they eventually became lovers. In 1736, they settled in the country house of Les Charmettes, not far from the center of Chambery.
This wallpaper, with its floral motifs typical of the 18th century in their simplicity and freshness, symbolizes Jean-Jacques Rousseau's attachment to nature. At Les Charmettes house, he discovered not only happiness, love, music, and reading, but also developed a profound connection to nature and botany, a relationship he would nurture throughout his life. He loved to stroll through the large garden and the valley of Les Charmettes, a preserved and enchanting place.
Our wallpapers are hung in 3 stages: the preparation of the wall, its pasting, and the hanging. The strips are hung edge to edge and from left to right in the order indicated on the assembly plan supplied with the rolls. To find out more, consult our Hanging instructions page.
Non-woven wallpaper 147g/ square meter
Manufacturing time: 20 business days
Made in France
Standard size: 1 roll of 65 x 250/350 cm
Owing to the manufacturing process, there could be small variations in colors from one production batch to the next. If possible, avoid buying different parts of the same design several weeks apart.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Collection
Charmettes House
