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The Saladin

Wallpaper
ca. 1897 (made)
Artist/Maker
Essex & Co. (manufacturer)
C. F. A. Voysey (designer)
Place of origin
England (made)

C. F. A. Voysey (1857-1941) was a prolific designer of wallpapers and textiles. Many are in an Art Nouveau style. They also clearly show the influence of William Morris’s principles of pattern design and his use of plant forms and birds as basic motifs. Voysey supplied a number of wallpaper designs to the manufacturer Essex & Co. In their advertisements they described him as ‘the Genius of Pattern’.

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read William Morris and wallpaper design During his career, William Morris produced over 50 wallpapers. These designs – many of which feature in the V&A's extensive Morris collection – adopted a naturalistic and very British take on pattern that was both new and quietly radical.

Object details

Category
Wall Coverings
Object type
Wallpaper
TitleThe Saladin (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour woodblock print, on paper
Paper
Colour Woodblock Print
Brief description
Portion of 'The Saladin' wallpaper; Colour woodblock print, on paper; Designed by C. F. A. Voysey; Produced by Essex & Co.; England; ca. 1897.
Physical description
Portion of 'The Saladin' wallpaper; Colour woodblock print, on paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 69.8cm
  • Width: 53.3cm
Style
Arts and Crafts
Credit line
Given by Morton Sundour Fabrics Ltd.
Object history
Given by Morton Sundour Fabrics Ltd.
Summary
C. F. A. Voysey (1857-1941) was a prolific designer of wallpapers and textiles. Many are in an Art Nouveau style. They also clearly show the influence of William Morris’s principles of pattern design and his use of plant forms and birds as basic motifs. Voysey supplied a number of wallpaper designs to the manufacturer Essex & Co. In their advertisements they described him as ‘the Genius of Pattern’.
Bibliographic references
  • Eisenman, Stephen S., Design in the age of Darwin: from William Morris to Frank Lloyd Wright, Evanston: Northwestern University, 2008
  • 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.
  • Saunders, Gill. Wallpaper in Interior Decoration. V&A Publications. London. 2002. pp. 119. pl 104.
  • Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1953
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
CIRC.261-1953

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Record createdJanuary 24, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73429/the-saladin-wallpaper-c-f-a/
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