Flowerpot Fire Screen
Design early 1880s
Medium
Wood, cotton or linen ground, silk floss
Dimensions
101.6 × 59.7 × 32.4 cm (40 × 23 1/2 × 12 3/4 in.)
Classification
embroidery
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
249141
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The two fire screens in the collection [2018.845 and 2018.846] illustrate the variety of ways in which one could purchase objects from Morris & Co. The Flowerpot Fire Screen was likely embroidered, assembled, and sold completed as seen here. May Morris herself stitched several versions of the Flowerpot panel. The Honeysuckle design may have been a kit that was sold for amateurs to embroider themselves, as the stitching is less precise. Both of these designs could also be made into cushions, and ...
About the Artist
William Morris · 1834–1896
William Morris (1834–1896) was a British designer, craftsman, writer, and socialist activist who became the most influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and one of the most important designers in British history. Born in Walthamstow, Essex, he studied at Oxford, where he formed a lifelong friendship with Edward Burne-Jones and came under the influence of John Ruskin's writings on art, l...