Imago Philomela de Atheni Martyris thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Imago Philomela de Atheni Martyris

Tile
1862 (designed), 1860s to early 1870s (made)
Artist/Maker
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co (makers)
Burne-Jones (designed by)
Place of origin
England

Tile panel of two tiles, earthenware, painted, depicting Philomela the Athenian princess, designed by Edward Burne-Jones, 1862, made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., 1860s or early 1870s, England

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Tiles
Earthenware
Art Pottery
Object type
Tile
TitleImago Philomela de Atheni Martyris
Materials and techniques
Earthenware, painted
Earthenware
Painted
Brief description
Tile panel of two tiles, earthenware, painted, depicting Philomela the Athenian princess, designed by Edward Burne-Jones, 1862, made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., 1860s or early 1870s, England
Dimensions
  • Height: 30.4cm
  • Width: 15.2cm
Dimensions of panel, converted from the register.
Content description
The tile depicts the Athenian princess Philomela, who was kidnapped and raped by her brother-in-law Tereus, who cut out her tongue. She revealed his crime by weaving a tapestry.

The painted tile background includes an aproximation of the Swan pattern and fleur-de-lis.
Marks and inscriptions
Imago Philomela de Atheni Martyris
Credit line
Bequeathed by J. R. Holliday
Object history
One of a series of designs based on Chaucer's Legend of Good Women ('Legend of Goode Wimmen'). The Philomela design was first used at Sandroyd, the house designed by Philip Webb for the painter J.R Spencer Stanhope in 1860.
Production
The tiles were imported as blanks from the Netherlands and decorated in England.
Bibliographic references
  • William Morris Exhibition Catalogue, ed. Linda Parry, V&A, 1996, p.186.
  • William Morris, ed. Anna Mason, V&A/Thames and Hudson, 2021, p.222.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.55-1931

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O277883/imago-philomela-de-atheni-martyris-tile-burne-jones/
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