Carpet
1914 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Omega Workshops were founded in 1913 by the designer and painter Roger Fry (1866-1934). He brought together a group of artists to design furniture, pottery, glass, textiles and entire schemes of interior decoration. Their radically abstract style, typified by this textile, was far ahead of its time and was influenced by developments in contemporary painting.In keeping with the painting tradition, Fry believed that designs should not be too mechanical and should show evidence of the artist's hand. In his hand-knotted rugs, such irregularity is created in this case by painting or printing parts of the fabric after weaving.
The design for this piece was found in Vanessa Bell's studio after her death. It was one of four or five made for Lady Hamilton who was a patron of the avant-garde in London.She offered the Omega artists their only real opportunity to create a harmonised domestic decoration project, including marquetried furniture, mosaic and stained glass.
The design for this piece was found in Vanessa Bell's studio after her death. It was one of four or five made for Lady Hamilton who was a patron of the avant-garde in London.She offered the Omega artists their only real opportunity to create a harmonised domestic decoration project, including marquetried furniture, mosaic and stained glass.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hooked woollen pile on jute warp and weft |
| Brief description | Rug of woollen pile, possibly designed by Vanessa Bell for Omega Workshops, 1914 |
| Physical description | Hooked carpet of woollen pile on a jute warp and weft. The design is divided into three zones edged in black and dark red. Each zone is filled with irregular straight and diagonal lines. In one corner there is a small square outlined in black with what could be the Omega symbol in yellow. Warp: undyed jute [?]; Z2S; 19 threads per inch arranged in groups of three and five. Weft: undyed jute [?]; Z-spun; 2 threads per shoot; 4 shoots per inch. Pile: wool; Z-spun. Colours: dark red, yellow, light blue, black and several shades of beige. End finish: 1 inch of plain weave turned under and stitched in place. Blue upholstery tape along three sides. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Limited edition |
| Object history | Commissioned by Sir Ian and Lady Hamilton in February 1914 for their home at 1 Hyde Park Gardens, Mayfair, London. A sketch for the design of this carpet was found in Vanessa Bell's studio at her death and is now in the Courtauld Institute gallery, London. |
| Historical context | Preliminary designs for the rug exist in The Courtauld Gallery, London (D.1958.PD.89, D.1958.PD.88 and in Prints and Drawings at V&A: E.725-1955. |
| Production | Attribution note: Notes made at the time of acquisition state that this carpet is one of a pair and that a third, larger carpet, completed the set. The structure is unlike other hand-knotted rugs for Omega Workshops by Wilton Royal Carpet Factory Ltd of this period. |
| Summary | The Omega Workshops were founded in 1913 by the designer and painter Roger Fry (1866-1934). He brought together a group of artists to design furniture, pottery, glass, textiles and entire schemes of interior decoration. Their radically abstract style, typified by this textile, was far ahead of its time and was influenced by developments in contemporary painting.In keeping with the painting tradition, Fry believed that designs should not be too mechanical and should show evidence of the artist's hand. In his hand-knotted rugs, such irregularity is created in this case by painting or printing parts of the fabric after weaving. The design for this piece was found in Vanessa Bell's studio after her death. It was one of four or five made for Lady Hamilton who was a patron of the avant-garde in London.She offered the Omega artists their only real opportunity to create a harmonised domestic decoration project, including marquetried furniture, mosaic and stained glass. |
| Associated object | E.725-1955 (Design) |
| Bibliographic reference | Beyond Bloomsbury. Designs of the Omega Workshops 1913-19, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2009, cat. 33, f. 111.
This rug is featured in a photograph on page 10 of the Omega products catalogue, showing it exhibited at the exhibition of Allied Artists, Holland Park Hall, 1914. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.660-1962 |
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| Record created | August 31, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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