British Arts & Crafts Textiles

British Arts & Crafts Textiles

Haslam and Whiteway, London

Artisans block-printing cotton fabric for Morris & Co.

April 2008 Connoisseur

Ideals Ingrained

Eclectic Company

Send a letter to the Editor

Save to Del.icio.us Digg this

The following web exclusive accompanies Ideals Ingrained, an article originally published in the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction.

The 19th-century British Arts & Crafts movement may be best known for its furniture. But the artists involved produced much more than solid oak sideboards and sturdy high-backed chairs. In their commitment to uniting craft and industry, English designers created textiles in vivid colors and intricate patterns that were not just decorative backgrounds for furnishings, but important works in their own right. In everything from relatively simple embroideries by anonymous artisans to elaborate, specially commissioned tapestries by pre-Raphaelite painters, these works assert their artistry while upholding the Arts & Crafts ideal of painstaking handcraftsmanship. Many high-quality patterns were also commercially produced in sizeable quantities for use as wall hangings, curtains, portieres and upholstery.

Nowadays, the fabrics are collected and displayed as art objects. Individual panels and even pairs of curtains and portieres can come up at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and are available through dealers such as Haslam and Whiteway and Fine Art Society, both in London. Prices vary according to size, material and condition, with cottons being the most affordable, generally ranging from as little as $300, for a small 24-inch square, up to $4,000 for larger remnants, and woven wools the most expensive, running from around $3,600–$10,000 for a single panel. For a look at several textile designs by William Morris and his contemporaries click on the photo gallery at top left.

"British Arts & Crafts Textiles" is a web exclusive published in conjunction with the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's April 2008 Table of Contents.