Peacock and Dragon (Blue)
1878 · Woven wool, weft-float faced twill, lined with linen · The Art Institute of Chicago
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About this work
- Artist
- William Morris (1834–1896)
- Year
- 1878
- Medium
- Woven wool, weft-float faced twill, lined with linen
- Original size
- 217.5 × 171.7 cm
- Collection
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Arts and Crafts
The same peacocks and dragons in a cooler scheme: buff and copper birds outlined against blue and blue-green, with olive accents, in a repeat of about 110 by 84 centimetres. William Morris designed the pattern in 1878 and had it woven thick in wool to recreate the weight of medieval tapestry. The V&A holds a set of curtains in this design from the hall at Clouds, the Wyndham family's country house in Wiltshire, and the firm later described it as a favourite with its author that needed a large room to set it off. The image is built entirely from three colours of weft thread. This example, two panels pieced and lined with linen, was produced at Queen Square or Merton Abbey and is in the Art Institute of Chicago.
This print fills the sheet edge to edge with the pattern, cropped from a high-resolution museum scan of the original, so it reads like a panel of the wallpaper or fabric. The exhibition poster shows the whole sample. The design is in the public domain.
Where it works
Buff birds on blue and blue-green have a cool, tapestry-like depth for a study, library or large bedroom wall. Pair it with Peacock and Dragon (Olive) at 24×36 in black.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Arts and Crafts pattern
- Era
- 19th century (1878)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- decorative, classic
- Rooms
- bedroom, study or library
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the pattern, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Hangs alone or as a matched pair; three or more prints are 10% off.
