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Acanthus

Wallpaper
1875 (published)
Artist/Maker
Jeffrey & Co. (printer)
Morris & Co. (publisher)
Morris, William (designer)
Place of origin
London (printed)

Specimen of 'Acanthus' wallpaper, foliate pattern of intertwined acanthus leaves in shades of green, yellows and pinks; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper.

Object details

Categories
Wall Coverings
Prints
Object type
Wallpaper
TitleAcanthus (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
block-printed in distemper colours, on paper
Paper
Distemper
Colour Woodblock Print
Block Printing
Brief description
Specimen of 'Acanthus' wallpaper, foliate pattern of intertwined acanthus leaves in shades of green, yellows and pinks; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper; Designed by William Morris; Published by Morris & Co.; Printed by Jeffrey & Co.; England; 1875.
Physical description
Specimen of 'Acanthus' wallpaper, foliate pattern of intertwined acanthus leaves in shades of green, yellows and pinks; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 695mm
  • Width: 516mm
Style
Arts and Crafts (Movement)
Credit line
Given by Walter Taylor Esq
Object history
The 'Acanthus' design requires thirty separate woodblocks to complete the pattern.
Parry (see references) notes that: 'Acanthus was the first of a group of large-scale, heavily patterned and deep coloured papers: the others were Pimpernel (1876), Wreath (1876), Rose (1877) and Chrysanthemum (1877). The large size of this design requires thirty blocks to complete the pattern, making it an expensive paper costing 16s. a roll.'
Bibliographic references
  • Parry, Linda, ed. William Morris London : Philip Wilson in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 9 May-1 Sept. 1996, pp.212, 213, ill.
  • Oman, Charles C., and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: a history and illustrated catalogue of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Sotheby Publications, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982.
  • Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1959
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
CIRC.281-1959

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1036456/acanthus-wallpaper-morris-william/
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