Peacock and Vine designed in 1912-1914 by William Morris and Philip Webb for Morris & Co. Crewel work in wool on linen. 1880-1900.
Morris & Co. supplied altar frontals in a finished or 'kit' form to order, using Morris's "Vine" pattern, from the 1870s or 1880s. The addition of the peacock motif implies that this textile was for secular use, probably part of a special order dating from the 1880s, when peacocks were at the height of fashion. Webb usually supplied the designs for animals and birds to Morris for his tapestries, embroideries and tiles, with either J. H. Dearle or Morris supplying the background design, and it may have been used in one of Webb's interiors.
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References
The Fine Art Society Story. Part I. London: The Fine Art Society, 2001. Catalogue number 106.
Last modified 1 November 2007