Queen Mary and Sir Charles Allom of White Allom & Co. created the Chinese Chippendale Room in 1911. The Queen had a passion for collecting Chinese and oriental objects, particularly jade, and the room is decorated in an eclectic style: with some pieces that originally furnished the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, objects collected by the Queen herself, set alongside two eighteenth century Vile cabinets that remain in the Royal Collection. The wallpaper was specially printed using a pattern from Chinese silk.

The Queen had collected objects specifically for this room, and in 1912 she wrote to the Prince of Wales, that she had bought for him to give her as a birthday present ‘2. charming old Chinese cloisonné cups (price £12) for my Chinese Chippendale room, which is now finished & is really beautiful…’ On 10 October 1926 Queen Mary recorded in her diary that after lunch ‘we went to Mr Jack’s studio to see G’s picture, also a lovely picture he has painted of my Chinese rm. Home to tea.’

Two watercolours of the room dated 1912 by Arthur Reginald Smith (1871-1934) (RCIN 926110-1) appear uncluttered in comparison with this later painting.

Jack completed his interior of ‘The Blue Drawing Room, Buckingham Palace’ in 1927 (405846) and the Royal Collection also holds full-length portraits of King George V (404547) and Queen Mary (RCIN 404548).