The Chinese Pavilion

supplied by Samuel Smith, 1745

painted oil cloth stretched over wooden supports

4.5m diameter

Designed as a temporary structure for the terrace of Montagu House, Whitehall, the wooden framework is covered with painted oil cloth panels which slot together. The interior is decorated with dragons and mythical birds; the exterior is surmounted with a carved wooden dragon. On 29 November 1745, Joseph Allen, steward to the 2nd Duke of Montagu, noted in his accounts a payment of £73 18s.6d. to Samuel Smith, Tentmaker 'for an Indian House in full' and £25 8s. to Oliver Hill for 'painting an Indian House in full'. The pavilion can be seen in contemporary views of the Whitehall riverside by Canaletto, Joli and S. & N. Buck.

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