William Morris and Morris & Company
Peacock and Dragon
1877
Scroll
Physical Qualities
Wool, 88 x 68 in. (223.6 x 172.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dena S. Katzenberg, Baltimore
Object Number
1993.502.2
This design, 'Peacock and Dragon,' exhibits the "Gothic crispness and clearness of detail" that Morris advocated. According to Morris scholars, 'Peacock and Dragon,' more than any other of his designs, came closest to Morris' ideal of an English medieval hanging. Like other early woven textiles by Morris, this design was influenced by his study of antique textiles at South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum), especially early Sicilian silks, which featured confronting birds. Other influences may also have played a part, including Morris' visit to a popular shop featuring a "Damascus room" reminiscent of the 'Arabian Nights.' A connection has also been noted between Morris' "dragons" and the phoenix found on Chinese textiles.
Morris' large repeat and the use of wool rather than silk gave 'Peacock and Dragon' a pseudo-medieval character that fit perfectly in the Art ad Crafts interior. It was used in the drawing room at Kelmscott House and was one of Morris' most popular textiles.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1993; Dena Katzenberg, Baltimore, MD
William Morris: The Reactionary Revolutionary
Pre-Raphaelites, 1848-1900
Linda Parry (ed.), William Morris, London: Philip Wilson Publishers in Association with The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996, pp. 270-271, M.80, illus. Otto Charles Thieme, Avant Garde by the Yard: Cutting Edge Textile Design, 1880-1930, Cincinnati, Ohio: Cincinnati Art Museum, 1996, pp. 6-7, pl. 7 illus.; p. 9. Cites: Silk and Wool Tapestries, Brocades, Etc. London: Morris and Company, Ltd. 1905-1917, unpaginated plate. & Lewis F. Day, 'William Morris and His Art,' The Art Journal, Easter Art Annual, 1899, pl. p. 4. Linda Parry, The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection: British Textiles from 1850 to 1900, N.Y.: Canopy Books/Abbeville Press, 1993, p. 24; p.71, pl.84. Linda Parry, William Morris Textiles, N.Y.: Viking Press, 1983, p. 152, #30. Oliver Fairclough and Emmeline Leary, Textiles by William Morris and Morris & Co., 1861-1940, London: Thames and Hudson, 1981, pp. 41-44. Sotheby's, 24 May, 1993, lot 217; Christie's, 9 October, 1992, lot 197; Christie's, London, 5 Feb., 1992, lot 110.
Inscribed: 2: Printed on a fabric tape stapled to the front, upper left edge: '8.' ; Printed on a fabric tape stapled to the back at the same point as the first tag: 'VH/ 5395.//VH/5395.//VH/5395.' [Both tags removed and placed in object folders.]
