Acanthus
Wallpaper Design
1874 (made)
1874 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This is an original design made by Morris in the process of working out the repeat and the colouring for the 'Acanthus' wallpaper which was produced in 1875. It is a working drawing, on the same scale as the finished wallpaper, but it does not show the whole pattern. It was intended as a guide for the printer to use when matching the colours. Pencil notes with instructions and questions about the colours have been added to the drawing by the printer.
Designs & Designing
In the mid-1870s Morris moved away from his earlier style of small-scale patterns. 'Acanthus' was the first wallpaper in a group of large-scale heavy patterns printed in darker colours. These designs were more sophisticated than the earlier papers, and Morris successfully disguised the underlying geometric structure of the repeat. Some of the features of the drawing, such as the white highlights on the scrolling leaf at the top, were left out of the printed version of the pattern.
Materials & Making
The outlines were drawn in pencil and then filled in with watercolours. Morris then used an opaque white pigment to paint in the highlights. The stylised scrolling acanthus leaves were some of Morris's favourite motifs and occur regularly in his work, including his tapestries and his illuminated manuscripts.
This is an original design made by Morris in the process of working out the repeat and the colouring for the 'Acanthus' wallpaper which was produced in 1875. It is a working drawing, on the same scale as the finished wallpaper, but it does not show the whole pattern. It was intended as a guide for the printer to use when matching the colours. Pencil notes with instructions and questions about the colours have been added to the drawing by the printer.
Designs & Designing
In the mid-1870s Morris moved away from his earlier style of small-scale patterns. 'Acanthus' was the first wallpaper in a group of large-scale heavy patterns printed in darker colours. These designs were more sophisticated than the earlier papers, and Morris successfully disguised the underlying geometric structure of the repeat. Some of the features of the drawing, such as the white highlights on the scrolling leaf at the top, were left out of the printed version of the pattern.
Materials & Making
The outlines were drawn in pencil and then filled in with watercolours. Morris then used an opaque white pigment to paint in the highlights. The stylised scrolling acanthus leaves were some of Morris's favourite motifs and occur regularly in his work, including his tapestries and his illuminated manuscripts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Acanthus (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on paper |
| Brief description | Design for 'Acanthus' wallpaper, a pattern of acanthus scrolls; Largely worked in watercolour; By William Morris; England; 1874. |
| Physical description | Design for 'Acanthus' wallpaper, a pattern of acanthus scrolls; Largely worked in watercolour. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Design |
| Marks and inscriptions | Inscribed in pencil with colour notes and 'get Mr Morris to paint in front leaves'; inscribed on the back 'The property of Mr Morris 15/12/74' |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | 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 | |
| Summary | Object Type This is an original design made by Morris in the process of working out the repeat and the colouring for the 'Acanthus' wallpaper which was produced in 1875. It is a working drawing, on the same scale as the finished wallpaper, but it does not show the whole pattern. It was intended as a guide for the printer to use when matching the colours. Pencil notes with instructions and questions about the colours have been added to the drawing by the printer. Designs & Designing In the mid-1870s Morris moved away from his earlier style of small-scale patterns. 'Acanthus' was the first wallpaper in a group of large-scale heavy patterns printed in darker colours. These designs were more sophisticated than the earlier papers, and Morris successfully disguised the underlying geometric structure of the repeat. Some of the features of the drawing, such as the white highlights on the scrolling leaf at the top, were left out of the printed version of the pattern. Materials & Making The outlines were drawn in pencil and then filled in with watercolours. Morris then used an opaque white pigment to paint in the highlights. The stylised scrolling acanthus leaves were some of Morris's favourite motifs and occur regularly in his work, including his tapestries and his illuminated manuscripts. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.297-1955 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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