Honeysuckle

William Morris

design registered 1876, printed 1876–77

Honeysuckle by William Morris

Medium

Linen

Dimensions

Overall ("a" confirmed): 67 x 70 in. (170.2 x 177.8 cm); Overall ("b" confirmed): 37 3/4 x 53 1/4 in. (95.9 x 135.3 cm); Overall ("c" confirmed): 60 1/4 x 28 in. (153 x 71.1 cm); Overall ("d" confirmed): 20 3/4 x 53 3/4 in. (52.7 x 136.5 cm); Overall ("e" confirmed): 19 x 49 1/2 in. (48.3 x 125.7 cm); Overall ("f" confirmed): 2 3/4 x 55 in. (7 x 139.7 cm); Overall (assembled): 67 x 60 in. (170.2 x 152.4 cm)

Classification

Textiles-Printed

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915

Accession Number

30.95.46a–f

Tags

Flowers

Art Historical Context

William Morris's *Honeysuckle*, designed and registered in 1876 and shortly after, exemplifies the British designer's commitment to beauty in everyday interiors. This printed linen textile features repeating motifs of delicate honeysuckle flowers, in soft blues, creams, and greens against a light ground. Comprising six fragments in varying sizes—from a substantial 67 x 70 inches to slender strips—the panels could be assembled into hangings or portieres, measuring about 67 x 60 inches when combined. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, it e...

About the Artist

William Morris · 18341896

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...

    Send Feedback