The Orchard
Tapestry
1890 (made)
1890 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Orchard was William Morris' first attempt to design a figurative tapestry, responding to the wishes of rich clients to have unique works of art by him, and following on from the success of his firm of Morris & Co in producing fine tapestries designed by the artist Edward Burne-Jones. It depicts an array of fruit trees with their harvest ready for gathering, including apples, grapes, olives and pears, behind a row of figures in medieval-style dress.
The figures are holding a scrolling banner with a poem composed by Morris, written especially for the tapestry, and celebrating the bounty of the orchard, and the rhythm of the seasons.
The figures are holding a scrolling banner with a poem composed by Morris, written especially for the tapestry, and celebrating the bounty of the orchard, and the rhythm of the seasons.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry woven in wool, silk and mohair on a cotton warp |
| Brief description | Tapestry, The Orchard, designed by William Morris, wool & silk, Britain, 1890 |
| Physical description | Tapestry showing four figures against a foliate background |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased for £405 from Morris & Co by the V&A in 1898, on the recommendation of J. H. Pollen and the Earl of Carlisle. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The Orchard was William Morris' first attempt to design a figurative tapestry, responding to the wishes of rich clients to have unique works of art by him, and following on from the success of his firm of Morris & Co in producing fine tapestries designed by the artist Edward Burne-Jones. It depicts an array of fruit trees with their harvest ready for gathering, including apples, grapes, olives and pears, behind a row of figures in medieval-style dress. The figures are holding a scrolling banner with a poem composed by Morris, written especially for the tapestry, and celebrating the bounty of the orchard, and the rhythm of the seasons. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 154-1898 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 6, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
