Although the mahogany inlaid firescreen is not marked it is certainly a known Morris & Company design. The elegant embroidery of Clanfield design is not well known and was probably designed by May Morris. May studied embroidery at The South Kensington School of Design, the precursor to The Royal College of Art, becoming head of Morris & Company embroidery section in 1885 at the age of 23. Clanfield is a town in Hampshire.
The central artichoke? in shades of coral filled with ivory bells and leaves, surrounded by stylish leaves and barbed tendrils, all on a pale blue silk ground, using thick twisted floss silks, 22 x 21 in /55 x 54 cm wide
The mahogany and holly or sycamore firescreen with a heart shaped handle and spindles below the embroidery.42 x 23 1/2 in/ 1.07 x 60 cm wide.
Very good. There is a slight change of colour around the edge of the embroidery, but I think this is a change of shade of the blue. Often one finds this is in Morris & Co embroideries.
William Morris Textiles Parry, Linda p 28 (1983 version)
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