The Collectors
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Friday 16 November 2007
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The Art Gallery of South Australia might be a long way from the design houses set up by William Morris in England during the mid 1800s, but it houses the most comprehensive collection of William Morris & Company furnishings outside Britain. This week Gordon explains why the meticulous William Morris was such an important designer and innovator.
Morris’ designs drew heavily on nature inspiration and he perfected the use of wood blocks for printing these designs as wallpaper and textiles.
The showpiece of the collection is a stunning tapestry titled The Adoration of the Magi. This was designed by the well-known artist of the time Edward Burne-Jones and was made by Morris & Company in 1900. One of ten similar versions, this piece took four people over two and a half years to make.
The Gallery’s collection of William Morris items numbers in the hundreds, however, due to their fragile nature, only a fraction of the pieces are on display.
The biggest patrons of William Morris were Scottish. Robert and Joanna Barr Smith came to Australia in 1856 and became the richest family in the Adelaide region. They were so fond of Morris’ avant-garde designs they had their house furnished top to bottom with his work. Female members of wealthy Adelaide families, including the Barr Smiths weren’t content to just import Morris pieces, they also wanted to give them a personal touch, so they would embellish his patterns with silk hand-stitching.
Like so many artists, William Morris was ahead of his time, and it’s a testament to the quality of his work that so many of his designs are still popular today.
