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Acanthus

Wallpaper
1875 (published)
Artist/Maker
Morris & Co. (publisher)
Jeffrey & Co. (manufacturer)
Morris, William (designer)
Place of origin
England (made)

Specimen of 'Acanthus' wallpaper, foliate pattern of intertwined acanthus leaves in shades of green; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper; Inscribed on the back in ink with title, number and price.
Part of 'Volume 1', a pattern book containing 25 Morris & Co. patterns from 1862-81 (E.441-529-1919).

Object details

Categories
Images Online
Wall Coverings
Prints
Object type
Wallpaper
TitleAcanthus (assigned by artist)
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; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper; William Morris; Part of 'Volume 1', a pattern book containing 25 Morris & Co. patterns from 1862-81 (E.441-529-1919); England; 1875.
Physical description
Specimen of 'Acanthus' wallpaper, foliate pattern of intertwined acanthus leaves in shades of green; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper; Inscribed on the back in ink with title, number and price.
Part of 'Volume 1', a pattern book containing 25 Morris & Co. patterns from 1862-81 (E.441-529-1919).
Dimensions
  • Size of volume height: 68.5cm
  • Size of volume width: 53.3cm
Dimensions from: 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.
Style
Arts and Crafts (Movement)
Marks and inscriptions
(Inscribed on the back in ink with title, number and price.)
Credit line
Given by Morris & Co.
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.'
Subjects depicted
Leaf (Plant Material)
Scrolling Foliage
Acanthus
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • 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. 114. pl 97.
  • 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.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1919, London: Printed Under the Authority of His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1921
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.495-1919

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Record createdFebruary 18, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74613/acanthus-wallpaper-morris-william/
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