Not currently on display at the V&A

Gemstones

Furnishing Fabric
1971 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Furnishing fabric of screen-printed cotton in purple and with a pattern of green and yellow faceted gemstones and pink roses.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleGemstones (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Screen-printed cotton
Brief description
Furnishing fabric of screen-printed cotton 'Gemstones', designed by Eddie Squires for Warner and Sons, Milton Keynes, 1971
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of screen-printed cotton in purple and with a pattern of green and yellow faceted gemstones and pink roses.
Gallery label
Gemstones Sample of screen-printed cotton furnishing fabric Designed by Eddie Squires for Warner and Sons Ltd British, 1971 Initially put together as a collage of cut jewels taken from books on minerals and gemstones, the whole design eventually resembled the profile of a twentieth century steel and glass city floating through space on grassy hillocks. A jacket displayed on the opposite wall uses Gemstones to great effect. Eddie believed in acknowledging the designer's name and the title of the fabric on the selvedge of original textile designs and he also advocated lively discussion between the Designer and the Buyer at events such as Trade Fairs - he wanted to remind the Buyer of the human personality and complex artistic process behind the creation of specific textiles. In 1971 Eddie Squires took over as chief designer at Warner and Sons and Gemstones was put into hand on the 21 April that year. The design required nine flat bed screens and can be read on two levels: it is a close-up depiction of the play of light on the crystalline surfaces of cut glass and jewels and with upright forms composed of separate gems it echoes the hard-edged, soaring architecture of modern cities such as Manhattan. Initially put together as a collage of jewels from books on minerals and gemstones, the whole resembles the silhouette of a twentieth century steel and glass city floating through space. In the case of Gemstones, part of the Minerals Collection, the fabric only reached prototype stage and was never stocked. Although the repeat pattern is large, it is effective as a series of isolated motifs on this jacket. T.359A-1990(09/07/2001)
Credit line
Given by the designer
Object history
Registered File number 1990/1444. One of two fabrics T.359-1990.
It is the same as T.953-2000 but in a different colour scheme.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
T.359A-1990

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdSeptember 12, 2001
Record URL
Download as: JSON