Sealife
Dress Fabric
ca. 1946 (designed)
ca. 1946 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
British artist and sculptor Henry Moore designed this print for the textile firm Ascher Limited, founded by Zika and Lida Ascher, Czech émigrés who moved to London in 1939. Along with other British and European artists, Moore was asked by Ascher to design prints for dress fabrics in order to create more exciting textiles than those that had been available during the Second World War.
Known as 'Eyebrows' for many years, this design's original title 'Sealife' was discovered on a tag pinned to a sample in the Ascher collection in 2006. Rather than eyebrows the black arches are in fact waves that cup squid-like amorphous shapes. The plant and animal life forms are not really identifiable, rather elements of a Surrealistic compliation in which the sea provides the medium for transformation.
Known as 'Eyebrows' for many years, this design's original title 'Sealife' was discovered on a tag pinned to a sample in the Ascher collection in 2006. Rather than eyebrows the black arches are in fact waves that cup squid-like amorphous shapes. The plant and animal life forms are not really identifiable, rather elements of a Surrealistic compliation in which the sea provides the medium for transformation.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Sealife (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Screen-printed rayon |
| Brief description | Screen-printed rayon dress fabric 'Sealife', designed by Henry Moore for Ascher Ltd., London, ca. 1946 |
| Physical description | Screen-printed rayon dress fabric with a drawn design of horizontal rows of white and black abstract motifs that resemble plant and animal life forms, all on a light brown ground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1992/465. |
| Summary | British artist and sculptor Henry Moore designed this print for the textile firm Ascher Limited, founded by Zika and Lida Ascher, Czech émigrés who moved to London in 1939. Along with other British and European artists, Moore was asked by Ascher to design prints for dress fabrics in order to create more exciting textiles than those that had been available during the Second World War. Known as 'Eyebrows' for many years, this design's original title 'Sealife' was discovered on a tag pinned to a sample in the Ascher collection in 2006. Rather than eyebrows the black arches are in fact waves that cup squid-like amorphous shapes. The plant and animal life forms are not really identifiable, rather elements of a Surrealistic compliation in which the sea provides the medium for transformation. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.96-1992 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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