Painted Panel thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Painted Panel

ca. 1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painted wooden panel is one of a set of four. It is probably an example of the early work produced by William Morris (1834-1896), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) while based at premises in Red Lion Square, London. It is likely that the panels may have been part of a large piece of furniture such as a settle, perhaps even the built-in settle in the drawing room at Red House: William Morris’s home in Bexleyheath, Kent, designed by Philip Webb (1831-1915).

It is uncertain which of Morris’s circle was responsible for the painting of the panels. This uncertainty reflects how closely these individuals worked together during the early years of their collaboration. The subject of the panels suggests the seasons. This particular example is most likely to be Winter. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the panels were ever intended to be ‘labelled’ in this way.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Oil on panel
Brief description
Painted panel, ca. 1860, British, Pre-Raphaelite
Physical description
This is one of four wooden panels which may originally have formed part of a piece of furniture. Painted with the figure of a woman wearing a white headdress and holding a small book
Dimensions
  • Height: 61cm
  • Width: 41cm
  • Depth: 3.2cm
Style
Gallery label
  • (Circ.310, 311-1960, Circ.128 & 129-1953) FOUR PANELS ENGLISH; about 1860-1865 Oil paint on wood Possibly from a bookcase painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris.(pre October 2000)
  • Circ. 128 & 129-1953, and Circ. 310 & 311-1960 FOUR PAINTED PANELS ENGLISH; c.1860 Painted wood Probably painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti These panels are reputed to have come from a piece of furniture at the Red House, Bexley Heath, the house of William Morris.(pre October 2000)
  • Circ. 310, 311-1960, Circ. 128 &129-1953 FOUR PANELS ENGLISH; about 1860-1865 Oil pain on wood Possibly from a bookcase painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris.(pre October 2000)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Christabel Marillier
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painted wooden panel is one of a set of four. It is probably an example of the early work produced by William Morris (1834-1896), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) while based at premises in Red Lion Square, London. It is likely that the panels may have been part of a large piece of furniture such as a settle, perhaps even the built-in settle in the drawing room at Red House: William Morris’s home in Bexleyheath, Kent, designed by Philip Webb (1831-1915).

It is uncertain which of Morris’s circle was responsible for the painting of the panels. This uncertainty reflects how closely these individuals worked together during the early years of their collaboration. The subject of the panels suggests the seasons. This particular example is most likely to be Winter. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the panels were ever intended to be ‘labelled’ in this way.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Parry, Linda, ed. William Morris. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Limited, 1996. 384 p., ill. ISBN 0856674419
  • Lahuerta, Juan Jose & Gaudi, Antoni, Gaudi Universe, Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, 2002
  • Greenhalgh, Paul, Esteve-Coll, Elizabeth and Jackson, Anna, Arts of the Victorians, London, V&A and Hankyu Gakuen Ikeda Bunko, Japan, 1992
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.128-1953

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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