The River Rug
Rug
1903 (made)
1903 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The 'River Rug' was probably intended by Voysey to function as a hearth rug, perhaps for his own family home. Its very unusual design, with an aerial view of a rural riverside landscape, has many fascinating details, from houses and villages, to farms and fields, and many boats and riverside activities. It may have been planned with Voysey's own children in mind. There is even a miniature version of Voysey's family home 'The Orchard'. The rug stands out amongst the many other textiles by the designer in the V&A collections, which use very stylized and regular arrangements of animal and plant forms, and are more typical of his commercial design practice. The 'River Rug' may have been inspired by the sixteenth century Sheldon tapestry maps of English counties, although when the rug was exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1903, it was thought to be reminiscent of Chinese textiles.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The River Rug (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-knotted with a deep pile (2cm) in wool on a canvas base of canvas with a cotton warp and probably linen weft. The long edges of the carpet have been oversewn to a cotton twill tape which is stitched to the underside, and the plain weave ends have been turned in and stitched down. |
| Brief description | Rug, known as 'The River Rug', hand-knotted carpet designed by C.F.A. Voysey and woven by Yates & Co., Wilton, in 1903. |
| Physical description | A small carpet or hearth rug. The design shows an aerial view of the of the banks of a fictional English river, and incorporates farms and fields, houses, villages, animals and human figures, as well as boats and riverside activities. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Limited edition |
| Credit line | Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by H M Government and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2014 |
| Object history | The River Rug was shown at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1903, and was described as a 'hearthrug', and entitled 'The River Mat' in the programme. |
| Production | Only one other rug is thought to have been made to this design, and this is in a private collection. |
| Summary | The 'River Rug' was probably intended by Voysey to function as a hearth rug, perhaps for his own family home. Its very unusual design, with an aerial view of a rural riverside landscape, has many fascinating details, from houses and villages, to farms and fields, and many boats and riverside activities. It may have been planned with Voysey's own children in mind. There is even a miniature version of Voysey's family home 'The Orchard'. The rug stands out amongst the many other textiles by the designer in the V&A collections, which use very stylized and regular arrangements of animal and plant forms, and are more typical of his commercial design practice. The 'River Rug' may have been inspired by the sixteenth century Sheldon tapestry maps of English counties, although when the rug was exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1903, it was thought to be reminiscent of Chinese textiles. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.71-2014 |
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| Record created | January 24, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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