Wall hanging, designed by William Morris, ca. 1880.

Wall hanging with a cotton twill ground entirely covered with silk embroidery. The design, which contains a central ogival shape formed by four touching acanthus leaves, shows a symetrical but haphazard pattern of curving leaves and flowers including carnations, peonies, tulips, briony and others. The ground is blue with flowers and leaves in pastel colours incliding peach, pink, mauve, greens, blues, grey, silver, brown and beige. The panel has two narrow (approximately 2'' or 5cm wide) borders to the left and right hand side and a wide (11.5'' or 29cm) border at the hem. An outside border, which continues round three sides of the embroidery shows a wavy line of pale and mid-green on pale and light blue. The lower border shows a central artichoke motif with trailing tulips and acanthus leaves with edge stripes and castellated decoration in peach, pale blue, brown and white.

The panel has a ground worked in vertical flame stitch with flowers and leaves in long, short and satin stitches. Stem outlining and one type of leaf is worked in laid and couch work with raised flowerheads effected with Frendch knots. The outer border is embroidered with long, short and stem stitches.

The embroidery is lined with Morris and Company shot silks of brown with a panel of violet coloured silk down the centre. There are no signs of use and the panel was probably never hung.

The panel as originally designed in 1880 for Lady Bell of Rounton Grange.

Embroidery was the first textile technique that Morris adopted for commercial use. He encouraged the use of fine needlework at a time when coarse canvas work kits were universally popular. Morris & Co.’s designs ranged from small cushion covers that could be made at home, to large hangings. This sample hanging of the ‘Acanthus’ design, showing only part of the design and border, was probably used in the Morris & Co. Oxford Street shop to show potential clients.

T.153-1979