Not currently on display at the V&A

Design for the decoration of the ceiling, the Green Dining Room, South Kensington Museum

Design
1866-1867 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In 1866 the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was commissioned to decorate the Dining Room at the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). Every surface of the room above the dado was to be decorated, including the ceiling. William Morris (1834–96) had founded the company with a group of fellow artists and designers.

This is one of two designs for the decoration of the ceiling. It was a collaboration between Morris and Philip Webb (1831–1915), who is better known as an architect. The design mixes stylised foliage and more organic motifs with a geometric structure. The paper has splashes of paint across it. This suggests that it was used for reference when the ceiling itself was being painted.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDesign for the decoration of the ceiling, the Green Dining Room, South Kensington Museum (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil, charcoal and watercolour on a sheet collaged from two pieces of paper
Brief description
Design for ceiling decoration in V&A Green Dining Room: scrollwork, floral, and foliate motifs, Philip Webb and William Morris, 1866-1867
Physical description
Design for the Victoria and Albert Museum. Ceiling decoration in the Green Dining Room: scrollwork, floral, and foliate motifs
Dimensions
  • Height: 131cm
  • Width: 101.5cm
Subjects depicted
Summary
In 1866 the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was commissioned to decorate the Dining Room at the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). Every surface of the room above the dado was to be decorated, including the ceiling. William Morris (1834–96) had founded the company with a group of fellow artists and designers.

This is one of two designs for the decoration of the ceiling. It was a collaboration between Morris and Philip Webb (1831–1915), who is better known as an architect. The design mixes stylised foliage and more organic motifs with a geometric structure. The paper has splashes of paint across it. This suggests that it was used for reference when the ceiling itself was being painted.
Bibliographic reference
Parry, Linda, ed. William Morris. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Limited, 1996. 384 p., ill. ISBN 0856674419
Collection
Accession number
E.1169-1940

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Record createdJanuary 9, 2004
Record URL
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