“Woodpecker”
“I once a king and chief, now am the tree-barks thief, ever ‘twixt trunk and leaf, chasing the prey.”
These words are woven into the design of this tapestry, titled “Woodpecker,” designed by the English artist, William Morris, in 1885. Unlike many other tapestries produced by Morris & Co.’s factory, this piece was designed solely by Morris himself. He often collaborated with his longtime friend and colleague, Edward Burne-Jones.
The subject of this work was written by the ancient Roman poet, Ovid, in Book XIV of his masterwork, Metamorphoses. In the story, Ovid told the story of King Picus, the first king of Latium, the land that the city of Rome would be built upon. He was skilled at augury and would often use woodpeckers to divine the will of the gods. One day while out hunting, he met Circe, a sorceress. Picus was known for his handsome looks and Circe tried to seduce him. He denied her advances. Utterly scorned, Circe cast a spell on Picus and transformed him into a woodpecker. She then changed Pomona, the goddess of fruit and onetime love interest of Picus, into a bird. Picus’s wife, the nymph Canens, looked for him for six days. Not finding him, she threw herself into the river Tiber and drowned.
The scene depicts the Italian king, Picus, as a woodpecker, standing on the limbs of a tree whose limbs are loaded with fruit. He is joined by his wife, Pomona, who Circe also changed into a bird. Large and swirling acanthus leaves grow around the trunk of the tree. A flowering honeysuckle design is woven wrapping around tree trunks that line the vertical edges. Gothic lettering spells out the text written above, which was written by William Morris and released in a book of poetry, titled Poems by the Way, in 1891.
Morris loved medieval tapestries. Even though they were not fashionable during his time, he learned the ancient craft of weaving for himself. Morris spent over 500 hours teaching himself, and then taught it at his workshop at Merton Abbey in Surrey, England. He started learning the craft of weaving in 1879, just six years prior to this piece.
“Woodpecker” is currently in the collections of the William Morris Gallery in London, England.
For more on William Morris, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
