Utrecht Velvet
Design c. 1871
Medium
Cotton and silk, plain weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut solid velvet; stamped
Dimensions
233 × 87.4 cm (91 3/4 × 34 3/8 in.); Repeat: 58 × 28.6 cm (23 × 11 1/4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
121947
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This stamped furnishing fabric imitates, in design and technique, 18th-century velvets made in the Netherlands and known colloquially as “Utrecht velvet.” The city of Utrecht was a center of stamped velvet production. Manufacturers there impressed patterns into cut solid velvet with a heated copper roller. The compressed pile created the illusion of velvet woven with varying piles, which would have been more time consuming to produce. This reproduction catered to consumer desire for high-end, hi...
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...