Medieval Manuscripts
Medieval Beauty: William Morris Tapestry Art
Author: Angela Dawson-Field
William Morris was a British designer, artist and craftsman whose designs for art and the decorative arts helped create the arts and crafts movement during the Victorian era. Morris’s talents were endless and he turned his hand to poetry, illuminated manuscripts, printing, wallpaper design and many other decorative elements. He is best known, however, for his impressive revival of the ancient art of tapestry design.
Although he initially studied for Holy Orders at Oxford he soon embraced art after meeting his lifelong friend Edward Burne-Jones. Deciding to instead become an architect he embarked on a lifelong pursuit of artistic freedom that would lead to the creation not only of some of the Victorian era’s most famous works, but revitalize and recreate the arts and crafts movement.
Through an early love of poetry he soon taught himself printing and from that learned to weave and work a loom. It was the latter pursuit that would come to demonstrate Morris’s talent at it’s most impressive. His spectacular tapestries became his most famous creations.
Morris developed an array of skills. He learned to embroider by unpicking antique pieces to learn the stitches; he set up a loom in his house and taught himself to weave with only an 18th century French manual for guidance. Within a matter of months he had completed his first tapestry design.
In 1861 Morris founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company along with friends Peter Paul Marshall and Charles Faulkner and subsequently begun the Arts and Craft Movement. Together with Edward Burne-Jones and fellow artists Ford Maddox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rosetti, the group produced some of the most creative tapestries and wall hangings the Victorians had seen.
It was Morris’s ambition to breathe new life into the art and he achieved it. Morris’s wall hangings and tapestries still remain an important influence on design today. His most famous works generally featured figures drew by Burne-Jones. Morris would design the background and the tapestry would be woven by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & co, which became simply Morris & Co in 1874 when Morris took sole control.
One of the most intricate and beautiful creations from the company, known as “the Firm”, is the Tree of Life tapestry. Designed by Morris it demonstrates his talent with patterns and his awareness and appreciation of the use of color. Symbolising growth and continuous life, the Tree of Life wall hanging is still one Morris’s most recognised works.
Morris & Co.’s most popular religious tapestry ‘The Adoration of Magi’ was first produced in 1890. As well as being Morris’s most ecclesiastical it was also the most complex. At least ten similar versions of the tapestry were woven between 1890-1907. Originally designed by Burne-Jones the tapestry depicts the Nativity scene.
The Quest for the Holy Grail, currently exhibited at the Birmingham Museum is one of the most well known works of Morris & Co. Like many of the others, the tapestry, which depicts the fascinating story of the search for the Holy Grail, was designed by Edward Burne-Jones. It is one of six wall hangings illustrating the story and was woven in 1895-96.
Possibly the most captivating and charming of Morris & Co.’s tapestries is the Ehret die Frauen. Designed by Marianne Stokes the hanging was inspired by a quotation from Friedrich von Schiller’s 1796 poem “Wurde der Frauen” (Women’s Worth), which appears in the upper border: “Honour the Women, they broid and weave heavenly roses into earthly life.”
One of William Morris’s most enduring legacies is his revitalization of tapestry art. By the mid-19th century wall tapestries had become just another mass produced item. Driven by the need to demonstrate the importance of the individual over the means of production Morris used tapestry and textile design to revitalize the central importance of creativity in art.
Its effect was not only felt during the Victorian era, but also well into the 20th century influencing many modern graphic designers to experiment in new areas of design. Morris’s approach, to assume all aspects of a work were open to experiment, has become more commonplace, but was unusual for its day.
Morris was one of the most prolific artists of the 19th century. The works of William Morris are proof that real beauty can be timeless. As popular today as they were over a century ago, Morris’s art has continued to inspire new generations of artists and craftsmen to reach beyond convention and genuinely create.
Copyright © The Tapestry House, all rights reserved.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/medieval-beauty-william-morris-tapestry-art-673375.html
About the Author
Angela Dawson-Field writes extensively on home accents, decor and tapestries & wall hangings. The Tapestry House
Tagged with: medieval • religious • tapestries • tapestry • unicorn • wall hangings • william morris
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This happens occasionally. I think you mean ‘discovered and brought to public notice’. Sometimes an old priest or scholar dies and in his property they discover an old MS. Some libraries, too, have so much stuff it hasn’t been catalogued properly.
For example, the book of Margery Kempe and Malory’s original Morte d’Arthur weren’t discovered till the twentieth century.
As for classical texts, every so often they find a papyrus fragment in the sands of Egypt. Last year they found apoem by Sappho, of which they had previously had only the first stanza.
The other resource is the Villa of the papyri in Pompeii. But the Italians are maddeningly slow in digging it up!
You will find many medieval artifacts in the Musée de Cluny, which is on the Left Bank.
If it doesn’t matter where it comes from, just type “medieval illumination” into Google and then click Images. You’ll get all kinds of examples. There are plenty of library sites where you can search for specific books or images, but you kind of have to know what you’re looking for.
If you go through the sites you will find articles that cite
bibliographies and other sources about the inquisition.
Many books were written too, look in Amazon. I think you might look in Spanish archives but that requires knowledge of Spanish of course. Good luck.
http://www.google.com/search?q=inquisition+in+Spain&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
The question seems to have been cut short…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript
How often are new medieval manuscripts discovered? (Don’t worry, I ain’t beggin’ for homework help :))
Anyone have any ideas? It seems like this is an era that’s been studied fastidiously and that and not many material artifacts (for whatever reason) are likely to have survived into the present day, so that the chances of uncovering something new are slim.
Does anyone know, however, of the discovery of new medieval documents? Statistics or even examples would be enlightening.
Also, if anyone wants to give it a shot, how often are classical texts unearthed?
Does anyone know of a bibliogrpahy or catalog of manuscripts/sources from the medieval inquisition?
I am looking for any bibliography that might aid me in finding inquisition records from the 14th century. Thus far, I have checked Blouin and Boyle on the holdings of the Vatican archives, but anyone who has any thoughts about other sources to check, please let me know.
Which are the best buildings to see medieval illuminated manuscripts in, in Paris, France?
I assume there are some in the Bibliotheque Nacionale there, but I don’t know for sure and I also don’t know how many, or which ones, are on display. Does anyone know? I’m particularly interested in Gothic illuminated manuscripts. Where else should I go in Paris to see such manuscripts? I’ve been to Chantilly (and, of course, though wonderful, it is not in Paris.) Help, please. Merci.
Where can I find flourishings of illuminated manuscripts from the Medieval period?
Like the little designs and all that…no writing on it…
I need it for a project in school
Help is appreciated!
Like on the internet, not buying stuff…already made
What was the significance of illuminated manuscripts in the medieval period? Who created them and what were th?