“Bird”
Today we have one of my favorite artists and a truly talented individual…
This textile length of a woven wool tapestry, titled “Bird”, was designed by the English artist, William Morris, in 1878. An early conservationist, Morris often chose to incorporate flowers, plants, and birds into his designs. Known for his association with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Morris was also a huge proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement which revolutionized decorative arts in the ninteenth century.
It is believed that Morris’s inspiration for this piece came from Italian woven silks from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He had seen them on display at the South Kensington Museum, which was later renamed to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Morris preferred to use more archaic and less automated techniques for production. His company, Morris & Co., created these tapestries on hand-driven jacquard looms. The result was a double-weave woolen tapestry rich in color and uniform in design.
Morris created this particular design for his own personal use. He used this tapestry to cover the walls in the drawing room of his house, affectionately named the Kelmscott House. This design was as popular with the public as it was with Morris himself. It remained in place in his home from 1878 until his death in 1896.
There are several places where “Bird” can be seen in person. It is currently in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the United States as well as the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.
For more on William Morris, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
