A Family of Artists: Room 4

Transcription

A Family of Artists: Evelyn De Morgan
John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope
1829 - 1908
John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope was
a younger son of John and Elizabeth
Spencer-Stanhope who owned
Cannon Hall until 1873. He was an
artist closely associated with the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Roddam’s desire to be an artist was
not always supported by his family
but his dedication enabled him to
develop his skills.
Roddam pursued his ambition by seeking out the painter
G.F. Watts to act in the role of tutor. Watts was a respected
painter and a member of the Royal Academy. Roddam
travelled with him to both Italy and Asia Minor which
influenced his work and enabled him to convince his family
of the respectability of his chosen career.
Roddam himself started exhibiting his paintings at the Royal
Academy but due to his close association with Rossetti and
the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood he became part of the
avant-garde art movement of the 1870s. He exhibited
regularly at the Grosvenor Gallery in London, which was
hailed as an alternative venue to the more traditional Royal
Academy.
1829 - 1908
In 1859 Roddam married Elizabeth King, initially settled in
Hill House, Cawthorne. They later moved to Sandroyd in
Surrey. Due to chronic asthma Roddam and his family
started to spend their winters in Italy. In 1873 Roddam
bought Villa Nuti in Florence and by 1880 he had moved
there permanently. He was visited frequently by his niece
Evelyn and her husband William De Morgan.
Photograph of Villa Nuti, 1906
Evelyn De Morgan, née Pickering
1855-1919
Evelyn was one of the
most successful and
prolific professional
female artists of her time.
She was born to wealthy
parents. Her father was a
QC, her maternal
grandfather owned
Cannon Hall in Yorkshire
and her grandmother
grew up at Holkham Hall
in Norfolk.
On her seventeenth
birthday, August 30th
1872, Evelyn wrote in her
diary:
“At the beginning of each year I say ‘I will do
something’ and at the end I have done nothing.
Art is eternal, but life is short”.
This statement illustrates the themes which were to
dominate her adult life and career as a professional artist.
Evelyn De Morgan: Early Career
Evelyn was inspired to become an artist by her uncle, the
symbolist painter John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope. She
studied at both the South Kensington National Art Training
School and the newly established Slade School of Art, where
she became one of the first women to attend life-drawing
classes. Her skills in draughtsmanship were respected and
she won several prizes including two coveted silver medals.
Evelyn did not officially graduate from the Slade as she
decided to travel to Europe instead of taking her final
exams. None the less the training she received gave her the
grounding to start a career as a professional artist.
Alongside her uncle John Roddam, she was also one of the
first exhibitors at the Grosvenor Gallery, the avant-garde
alternative to the Royal Academy.
Evelyn’s early works, such as Mercury,
tended to favour Old Testament or
mythological themes executed in a
Pre-Raphaelite or neo-classical style,
in oils on canvas. In choosing these
techniques and subject matters
Evelyn was positioning herself as a
professional artist, during a period
when few women succeeded in this
field.
Evelyn De Morgan: Italy
Evelyn first visited Italy
when she was a student at
the Slade School of Art.
She was particularly inspired
by the works of the early
Renaissance artists such as
Botticelli.
The influence of his imagery
and compositional
techniques are apparent in
many of her paintings from
the late 1870s and 1880s.
The composition and
positioning of figures in
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus
(top) inspired four of
Evelyn’s most iconic
paintings Boreas and
Oreithyia (on display)
Night and Sleep (middle)
Cadmus and Harmonia
(bottom left) and Flora
(bottom right).
Evelyn De Morgan: Political Activism
Concerned throughout her life with societal inequality, along
with her husband William (De Morgan) whom she married in
1887, Evelyn engaged with many leading philosophical
debates and activities aimed at effecting social improvement,
including prison reform, pacifism, Spiritualism and
Theosophy.
Additionally, the De Morgans were involved with the
suffragette movement: Evelyn as a signatory to the
Declaration in Favour of Women’s Suffrage in 1889 and
William serving as Vice-President of the Men’s League for
Women’s Suffrage in 1913. Evelyn was well aware that her
class and financial wealth placed her in a position of
privileged independence which was available to few women.
Paintings such as The Soul’s Prison House, on display in this
exhibition can be interpreted as a comment on Evelyn’s view
that women were entrapped in the domestic sphere by
political and societal constraints.
All of these issues influenced Evelyn’s work and as her career
progressed she became less concerned with painting
commercially attractive works and instead began to address
her socio-political anxieties through the medium of paint.
Towards the end of her life Evelyn painted over 15 works
which directly engage with the subject of war from a pacifist
perspective.
A Family of Artists: William De Morgan
William De Morgan: 1839 - 1917
William De Morgan
was the most
important ceramic
artist of the Arts and
Crafts Movement.
He was born on 16th
November 1839 into
an intellectual family
of French Huguenot
descent.
His father, Augustus,
was a professor of
Mathematics at
University College and
his mother, Sophia,
was a political campaigner who became involved with many
of the social issues of the day such as the Prison Reform
Movement.
In 1863 William met artists and designers William Morris
and Edward Burne-Jones and became part of their artistic
circle, initially working alongside Burne-Jones to design and
make stained glass.
William De Morgan: Sales and Commissions
William sold his imaginative wares through his own
workshop and store which was latterly in Great
Marlborough Street and through Morris and Co.'s shop. In
addition, he worked on a range of commissions, producing
tiles and ceramics for manufacturers of other interior
products such as fireplace surrounds. He also made
spectacular ceramics and tiles for stately homes and ships
such as the Czar of Russia’s yacht and twelve P&O ships.
BBB Tile
Designed for Barnard, Bishop and
Barnard, a company who made a
range of products from iron
including fireplace surrounds.
However William’s most influential commission came
relatively early in his career when in 1882 he was tasked by
Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton, to oversee the
installation of his collection of ancient Middle Eastern tiles
in the Arab Hall at Leighton House. He repaired broken tiles,
made replacements for missing pieces and arranged the
whole decorative scheme. The commission, which took
William over two years to complete, allowed him to study
the antique tiles extensively at first-hand and this informed
his own techniques, glaze recipes and pattern designs
throughout his career as a potter.
William De Morgan: Production
William’s work can be broadly divided into two main styles
and colour palettes. The blue / green ware, which he
described as Persian, is in fact mainly inspired by the colours
and decorative motifs of Turkish Iznik pottery. The ruby and
gold coloured wares with metallic oxide lustre highlights are
informed by the decoration of Moorish ceramics and Italian
Maiolica.
William’s inventive and creative mind led him to explore and
experiment with glazes and production techniques, and
enabled him to become a technical virtuoso in his field. He
viewed this creative process as more important than
actually throwing pots and he often bought in blank
ceramics from other manufacturers for his staff to decorate,
particularly in the early years of the pottery.
Glaze Test Tile
William often experimented with
different glaze recipes to enhance
his palette of vibrant colours.
William employed various techniques in the production of
his ceramics. Designs were transferred to vessels either
freehand from his master design, or using a pouncing
technique (dusting charcoal through a pin-pricked design).
William De Morgan: Production
Tiles were created using a semi-transfer technique, whereby
a tracing was made of the design, glaze was then painted
directly onto the very thin tracing paper, adhered to the tile
and fired. In the kiln the paper burnt to ash and was
absorbed into the glaze. This ingenious technique allowed
William’s staff to produce multiple repeats of tiles whilst still
conforming to the hand-made principles of the Arts and
Crafts Movement. This method also allowed them to
produce large pictorial tile panels, by simply painting glaze
onto larger pieces of paper.
At the height of the pottery’s success William was
employing 13 staff to help keep up with demand. However,
his hand-crafted ceramics were expensive to produce and
not affordable to the majority of the public, who could
purchase transfer-printed ceramics at much lower costs.
Despite the initial popularity of his ceramics, William’s
business ran at a loss and only survived due to significant
investment from his wife and his business partner, Halsey
Ricardo. William’s style of work did not change substantially
over the lifespan of the pottery and by the time he shut
down production in 1907, interest in his products had
waned. However, today his vibrant, attractive and often
humorous ceramic designs are instantly recognisable and
much sought after.
William De Morgan: Pottery Locations
William ran his pottery from three different London
locations during the lifespan of the company.
He first opened for business in 1872 at Cheyne Row in
Chelsea. He initially lived on the premises and had a
workshop and a showroom all in the same building. He later
acquired the ‘Orange House’ on the same road which he
retained as a showroom until 1886, after which time he
leased a showroom space in Great Marlborough Street,
near Liberty’s in London.
By 1882 William had outgrown the Cheyne Row site and he
moved production to Merton Abbey, in South London. This
was close to the workshop of his friend and colleague,
William Morris. However the journey from his Chelsea
home proved to be tiresome and so he moved the pottery
for a final time in 1888 to Sands End in Fulham, where it
remained until the closure of the business in 1904.
William produced different pottery marks for each of these
periods, allowing for accurate dating of many of the
ceramics. However, it is important to note that William also
bought in ceramic blanks from other manufacturers to
decorate and so it is not unusual to find examples of De
Morgan ware which bear no marks at all.
William De Morgan: Pottery Locations
Chelsea Period:
1872 – 1882
Early Fulham Period:
1888-1897
Merton Abbey Period:
1882 – 1888
Late Fulham Period:
1897-1907
in partnership with Frank Iles,
Charles & Fred Passenger
William De Morgan: Personal Life
William De Morgan was dedicated to his pottery career and
attentive to his network of artistic friends which included
William and Jane Morris, Edward and Georgiana Burne-Jones,
Henry and Kate Holiday and George and Mary Seton Watts.
William and Evelyn married in 1887 and the couple were
mutually supportive of each other. He encouraged Evelyn to
carry on painting and she helped to support the pottery
financially. After their marriage they spent a significant part
of each year in Florence, a city which was to become a great
source of inspiration for the pair. Whilst Evelyn immersed
herself in her passion for Renaissance art, William spent time
with a fellow potter Ulisse Cantagalli.
William and Evelyn shared other interests including support
for the suffrage movement. William stood as the VicePresident of the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage in 1913.
Together they also embarked on a long-term collaborative
experiment of automatic writing, which was a practice
associated with their spiritualist beliefs.
After William retired from the pottery in 1907, Evelyn
encouraged him to start writing novels. He published seven
before his death in 1917 and Evelyn finalised and published
two further novels posthumously. The novels were well
received by the public and secured the De Morgans the
financial security which had eluded them in earlier years.
Set of three pulpit panels
originally made for All Saints
Church, Cawthorne
Oil on wood panel
1870s
Cannon Hall Museum Collections.
(On loan from All Saints Church,
Cawthorne)
These three panels depict Christ in his Glory accompanied
by two angels. The panels were painted by John Roddam
for the pulpit of All Saints Church, Cawthorne.
The church is situated very close to Cannon Hall and was
used regularly by the Spencer-Stanhope family. The panels
were installed in the 1870s as part of the refurbishment of
the church. This was funded and organised by Roddam and
his brother, Walter Spencer-Stanhope to commemorate
their parents who had both died in 1873.
Medusa roundel
Evelyn De Morgan
Paint, water gilding and gesso
on a wood panel
1873-1875
De Morgan Foundation Collection
Medusa is a figure from Greek mythology who was
punished by the gods. Her golden hair was turned into
snakes and anyone who looked into her eyes was
immediately turned to stone.
This fascinating piece shows Evelyn’s interest in Greek
mythology as well as using biblical and literary sources.
Medusa’s face has been built up with layers of gesso to
create a sculpted feel. The background has been gilded and
decorated to create a pattern of slithering snakes.
This decorated gilt technique was used by Evelyn on the
panels of four saints that she created for All Saints Church,
Cawthorne. The figures are the four evangelists, Saints
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Figure holding a shield
Evelyn De Morgan
Pencil and charcoal on paper
1873-1875
This is one of a series of drawings which Evelyn created
whilst planning and executing the panels depicting Angels
holding shields of the Saints (Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John) for All Saint’s Church in Cawthorne.
Evelyn engaged the services of a model to ensure the
correct positioning of the hands holding the wooden
shield. The model is likely to have been a close family
member such as her sister Wilhelmina or her cousins
Gertrude or Freda.
The final panels look very different to this pencil sketch and
are moulded in gesso to create a sense of depth.
The Women of Sorrento drawing
in the boats
Oil on wood panel
1855-1908
This painting was presumably based on a scene which John
Roddam witnessed during a visit to Sorrento. It depicts the
local women dressed in an array of brightly coloured
clothes helping the fishermen to bring the boats to shore.
Despite the women straining with the weight of their
heavy load the rope they pull is oddly lacking in tension.
Sorrento, is situated on the north side of the Sorrentine
Peninsula in the Gulf of Naples (Italy) and is an area of
great beauty. In the nineteenth century it was a favourite
winter residence for foreigners. It was of course far from
John Roddam’s home outside Florence, and he is most
likely to have gone there either on holiday or in search of a
warmer climate during the winter months.
The Garden of Opportunity
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1892
The Garden of Opportunity is a symbolic painting depicting
the choice between wisdom and folly.
On the right is the figure of Wisdom in a despairing pose.
She is symbolised by representations of learning and
wisdom such as the discarded book, the carved owl on the
bench and the church (in the background), which was a
medieval place of learning.
To the left of the painting is Folly in her pale yellow and
blue robes. Against a desolate background, she tempts the
two young men towards a castle – symbolic of transient
wealth. She holds out to them a silver ball on the reverse
of which is a skull. In her other hand is a branch of
henbane – a narcotic and poisonous plant. On the stairway
to the Palace of Folly, a little devil peeps out from the
banister to see which they will choose. Wisdom or Folly.
Boreas and Oreithyia
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on Canvas
1896
The story of ‘Boreas and Oreithyia’ comes from classical
mythology. Boreas was the Greek god of the North-West
Wind who fell in love with the princess Oreithyia. In the
painting Boreas uses his strength to carry Oreithyia away
but does so with care so as not to frighten her.
Due to the moral restrictions of Victorian society it was
difficult for Evelyn to find models to draw from. Oreithyia is
modelled by her maid, Jane Hales, who appears in a
number of her works.
Boreas is modelled by Alessandro di Marco. He moved to
London from Piedmont in North Italy in 1867 and was a
well-established artist’s model – used by many
professional painters in the 1870s and 1880s.
Blindness and Cupidity
chasing Joy from the City
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1897
After Evelyn’s marriage in 1887 she became increasingly
religious. One of her core religious philosophies was the
importance of prioritising spiritual wealth over monetary
wealth. Many of her paintings depict this theme.
Cupidity means a strong desire for wealth and riches. In
this painting cupidity is represented as a man wearing a
golden crown. He is tied to Blindness by chains and spikes.
They are chasing the angel of Joy away from the city. The
work can therefore be seen as a warning not to become so
focused on worldly goods and possessions, that we forget
the joy of life.
Like the Garden of Opportunity the architecture of the
painting is based on Italian architecture and it is likely that
Evelyn executed the work whilst in Florence, where she
often rented studio space.
Iznik inspired dish
Cantagalli
Tin Glazed Earthenware
1878-1901
This dish was made by the Cantagalli Pottery which was
based in Florence, Italy. William De Morgan often visited
the pottery when he was in Florence and became friends
with the owner Ulisse Cantagalli. They shared a love of
experimenting with different techniques and glaze recipes.
Both William and Ulisse were inspired by the colours and
patterns of Middle Eastern ceramics. The dish is decorated
with flowers and leaves in vibrant blue and green colours
on a white background. It is a copy of a 16th century dish
which was made in an area of Turkey called Iznik, famous
for its ceramic production.
On the back of the plate is the Cockerel mark which
denotes that it was made in the Cantagalli factory.
Long stemmed floral dish
Cantagalli
Lustre Earthenware
1878-1901
This dish was made by the Cantagalli Pottery which was
based in Florence, Italy. William De Morgan often visited
the pottery when he was in Florence and became friends
with the owner Ulisse Cantagalli. They shared a love of
experimenting with different techniques and glaze recipes.
This dish has a metallic sheen to it which is created with a
technique called “reduction firing”. Metallic oxides are
painted onto the dish and during firing in the kiln, oxygen is
released from the metallic oxide leaving the metallic
residue on the plate. The technique is difficult to achieve
and is one of the many techniques which William and
Ulisse worked together to perfect.
On the back of the plate is the Cockerel mark which
denotes that it was made in the Cantagalli factory.
Knight and Leopard charger
William De Morgan
Lustre Earthenware
1885 - 1904
This charger (large dish ) is decorated with a humorous
picture of a knight attempting to spear a leopard which
has just broken the end from the spear and is carrying it
away in its mouth.
The decoration is painterly and very different from
William’s typical work - many examples of which are
displayed in the following rooms. With this piece William
is clearly emulating the decorative style of Italian
Renaissance ceramics, commonly known as Maiolica.
The dish is decorated on a blank plate which was supplied
to William De Morgan by the Cantagalli workshop. It is one
of only a handful of pieces that William made in this style.
Cheiron and Achilleus charger
William De Morgan
Lustre Earthenware
1885 - 1904
This charger (large dish ) takes its inspiration from Greek
Mythology. It depicts the centaur Cheiron being ridden by
the child Achilles, whilst firing a bow and arrow. In
adulthood Achilles was to become one of the heroes of the
Trojan Wars. Interestingly the string of Cheiron’s bow has
been painted on the wrong side of his arm – making it
impossible to fire.
The decoration of the charger is painterly and very
different from William’s typical work - many examples of
which are displayed in the following rooms. With this
piece William is clearly emulating the decorative style of
Italian Renaissance ceramics, commonly known as
Maiolica.
The dish is decorated on a blank plate which was supplied
to William by the Cantagalli Workshop. It is one of only a
handful of pieces that William made in this style.
A Family of Artists: Corridor
Lake Lugano - Italy
Watercolour on paper
1855 - 1908
John Roddam was known primarily for his large scale oil
paintings however he was also known to work in
watercolours, fresco and mixed media. His subject matters
were typically mythological, allegorical, biblical and
contemporary Victorian.
This watercolour sketch by John Roddam, or Roddy as he
was known to friends and family, was painted on location
at Lake Lugano. The lake is a glacial lake situated on the
border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy.
As such, it is far from John Roddam’s home in Florence. The
sketch may have been intended as a reminder of his visit or
as a study for a backdrop for a larger painting.
Study for The Women of
Sorrento drawing in the boats
1855 - 1908
This is a watercolour sketch undertaken by John Roddam as
part of his process for preparing the composition, scale and
colour for his oil painting of the same subject (displayed in
room 2).
The artist would create a number of preparatory studies,
including compositional sketches and figurative studies
from life models in particular poses, prior to undertaking
the final work.
The Baptism of Christ after
Verrocchio and Leonardo da
Vinci
Evelyn De Morgan
1872-1880
The Baptism of Christ is a painting finished around 1475 in
the studio of the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea del
Verrocchio and generally ascribed to him and his pupil
Leonardo da Vinci.
Andrea del Verrocchio was a sculptor, goldsmith and
painter who ran a large and successful workshop in
Florence in the second half of the 15th century. Among his
apprentices and close associates were the painters
Botticelli, Botticini, Lorenzo di Credi and Leonardo da Vinci.
As a young artist Evelyn was greatly influenced by the work
of Verrocchio and his pupils. She visited their work at the
Accademia in Florence in the 1870s and she created this
copy whilst there.
Study of a woman’s head
Evelyn De Morgan
Pencil on paper
1872-1919
Evelyn planned meticulously for each of her large scale
paintings – producing dozens of preparatory sketches
before the paint touched the canvas.
She would persuade friends and family to model for her
and occasionally engaged the services of professional
models. This drawing of a beautiful young woman is
believed to be Evelyn’s cousin Mary Grutrude SpencerStanhope.
Compositional study for Boreas
and Oreithyia
Evelyn De Morgan
Charcoal, conté crayon, pastel
and gold paint on brown paper
1896
This preliminary compositional study conforms to
traditional representations of the Greek god of the NorthWest Wind, where Boreas is depicted as an aggressive
figure with puffed up cheeks, ready to abduct the passive
Oreithyia.
However in Evelyn’s final painting Boreas is portrayed as a
much more tender and sensitive figure. The gap between
concept and final treatment suggests the influence that
the model’s commanding appearance had over the project
as a whole.
Study of a male head looking left
for Boreas and Oreithyia
Evelyn De Morgan
Red pastel on cream paper
1896
This study demonstrates the care which Evelyn took whilst
preparing for her oil paintings. The drawing displays the
model’s striking eyes and cheekbones and his expression
conveys a pensiveness which contrasts with more typical
violent and corporeal representations of Boreas.
The model’s striking appearance and melancholic attitude
may have affected Evelyn’s final composition and
representation of the Greek god.
Study of female arms and legs
for Boreas and Oreithyia
Evelyn De Morgan
Pastel and pencil on grey paper
1896
Evelyn produced numerous sketches whilst preparing for
her large-scale works. She underwent a process which
included drawing models clothed and unclothed whilst
holding the pose depicted in the final work.
She would then undertake more detailed drawings of
particular features, such as faces, hands and any props
displayed in the painting.
Whilst this sketch was a working drawing, it is sensitively
created and is a work of art in its own right.
Study of a male torso for Boreas
and Oreithyia
Evelyn De Morgan
Charcoal, conté crayon and pastel
on brown paper
1896
The model for Boreas was Alessandro di Marco. He moved
to London from Piedmont, North Italy in 1867 and was a
well-established model – most notably he was the model
for Merlin in Edward Burne-Jones’s The Beguiling of Merlin
(1872-77).
According to the artist George Richmond, he was ‘the living
embodiment of a classical sculpture’ and Evelyn’s drawings
of him illustrate that even later in life his figure conforms
to artistic ideals of masculine beauty.
Twilight
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1900-1919
The painting is one of several allegorical works produced
by Evelyn on the theme of the elements. It is a preparatory
sketch in oil for a larger uncompleted painting.
Twilight is defined as “a light from the sky when the sun is
below the horizon” . Here we see the personification of
daytime huddled a sleep on a rock. Behind her, the figure
of twilight is awakening, trailing clouds and stars in her
blue and pink draperies and with the moon behind her
head. She casts a pink and blue light over the land and sea
as she rises.
It is noteworthy that Evelyn decided to portray these
elements as female forms.
Mercury
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1873-1880
This painting is believed to be one of Evelyn’s earliest
completed paintings in oils and was likely undertaken
whilst she was studying at the Slade School of Art. Evelyn
was one of the first three women to study at the school
which opened in 1871. In this early period Evelyn often
used family members or others from her close circle of
contacts as models. Here, her brother Spencer Pickering
was the chosen model.
Many of Evelyn’s early works are of mythology or biblical
subjects as these were traditionally considered appropriate
subjects for professional painters. Mercury was the
messenger to the gods, the conductor of souls to the lower
world and a dangerous foe. He is depicted here as a young
athlete, carrying the caduceus (rod with twined snakes that
possessed magical powers over sleeping, waking and
dreams) and wearing winged sandals and petasus (a
winged helmet).
The Soul’s Prison House
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1880 - 1888
This painting of a woman trapped in a dimly lit interior can
be considered in a number of different ways. Evelyn was
committed to supporting women’s right to vote and the
picture can be seen as a representation of all women who
were inhibited by the political and social situation of the
Victorian period. Evelyn was also a committed ‘Spiritualist’
which was a popular philosophy in the Victorian period.
She firmly believed that the soul was imprisoned in the
body and would eventually be released to join another
realm.
The painting was created using a technique invented by
Evelyn’s husband William which he called “The Process”.
The colour pigments were mixed with glycerine and spirit
and applied. Afterwards, a poultice was applied to the back
of the canvas to extract the glycerine. The technique gives
the painting an otherworldly quality.
Easel, palette and knife
The easel, palette and knife displayed in this room all
belonged to Evelyn and were used by her in her studio in
the latter years of her life.
The palette has remains of paint on it and offers a small
insight into the artist’s working methods and colour mixing.
The palette knife was gifted to Evelyn by the painter G.F.
Watts. Watts was considered to be one of the greatest
painters of the Victorian period. He was presumably
introduced to Evelyn by her uncle John Roddam who was
taught to paint by Watts.
Watts respected Evelyn’s work and said of her, “I look upon
her as the first woman artist of the day — if not of all
time”.
Boreas and the Fallen Leaves
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1900-1919
This is the second depiction of the Greek god of the NorthWest wind which Evelyn painted. However, this
representation of Boreas as a chubby-cheeked and
menacing figure is a more typical treatment of the most
important of the wind gods than the sculpted and tender
rendition seen in Boreas and Oreithyia in room 2.
In this painting Boreas is depicted swirling round a large
gnarled tree, whilst the leaves he is blowing are portrayed
as golden-haired maidens being blown to the floor. The
staggered movement of these female figures bears a
marked resemblance to the work of a famous Victorian
photographer called Eadweard Muybridge who pioneered
the use of photography in the 1870s and 1880s to study
animal and human figures in motion.
Love’s Passing
Evelyn De Morgan
Oil on canvas
1883 – 1884
This painting is an allegory for the passing of time. The
young lovers in the foreground sit listening to the piping
angel. The male figure seems entranced, but the woman is
distracted. The book open before them holds the key to
her distress as it shows a passage from the Latin poet
Tibullus’s Elegy, where the writer imagines dying in his
lover’s arms and considers her grief at his funeral.
And sure enough, across the River of Life, we see a bowed
old woman being accompanied by the Angel of Death,
come to finally reunite the widow with her departed lover.
Evelyn painted Love's Passing shortly after meeting the
older William De Morgan and prior to her marriage. She
didn't sell the work and it remained within the family until
her younger sister's death in 1965.
The Trumpeter
William De Morgan
Tin glazed earthenware
1865-1882
This tile panel depicting a trumpeter with swirling drapery
against a background of foliage is one of a small number of
figurative tile panels which William created.
The style of the piece is very reminiscent of the figurative
works produced by Morris and Co - the Arts and Crafts
design company which was formed by William’s life-long
friends and colleagues, William Morris and Edward BurneJones.
William started his artistic career working for Morris and
Co. in the mid 1860s before finally starting his own pottery
in 1872.
Figures of Pan and Orpheus
Gertrude Spencer-Stanhope
Bronze sculptures
1890s
Cannon Hall Museum Collection
(HM Acceptance in Lieu)
Gertrude was the daughter of Sir Walter Spencer-Stanhope
who owned Cannon Hall. She was a talented artist and was
the niece of John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, who
encouraged her artistic abilities.
As well as painting, Gertrude had a considerable talent for
sculpting in bronze and terracotta. Her work was exhibited
regularly from the mid-1880s through to the early 20th
century.
These bronze figures of Pan and Orpheus were both
exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, in the 1890s.
Floral jardinière
De Morgan and Co.
Decorator: Fred Passenger
Sands Ends Pottery, Fulham
1888 – 1904
This jardiniere is decorated with flowers and leaf motifs in
vivid blues and greens on a white background. This style of
decoration is very reminiscent of ceramics of the Middle
East –of which William was very fond.
Whilst known as a potter, William was in fact a ceramic
designer and he employed a team of staff to decorate
pieces to his exacting standards.
At the height of William’s pottery he had 13 employees.
These included a foreman, kiln manager, and several
decorators who executed the pieces to William’s exacting
designs and standards. The three best-known decorators
were brothers Fred and Charles Passenger and Joe Juster.
This particular piece was decorated by Fred.
Ferocious Creatures vase
De Morgan and Co.
Lustre glazed earthenware
Merton Abbey Pottery
1888-1888
This vase is decorated in William’s typical quirky style with
ferocious creatures on a background of white swirls.
Creating weird and wonderful creatures to decorate
William’s ceramics was a family pastime and these designs
were very popular with the Victorian public who adored
fairy stories such as the ones popularised in the period by
the Brothers Grimm.
Lustre has been used on this vase to create metallic
highlights. William’s experiments with lustre decoration in
the late Victorian period were directly inspired by Hispano
Moresque ceramics from the 13 – 15th centuries and Italian
Maiolica from the 15th – 16th centuries, both of which
contained metallic, lustrous glazes.
Swallow and Eagle punch bowl
De Morgan and Co.
1872-1904
This punchbowl is decorated on the outside with a design
of fishes against a swirling sea. The inside is decorated with
an unusual pattern of diving swallows on a background of
red swirls. The pattern is reminiscent of those found on
Japanese wood block prints which became fashionable
during the Victorian period.
Whilst this punchbowl would make a spectacular
centrepiece it was intended to be decorative and not
functional. This was because William’s ceramics were fired
at low temperatures and were therefore too porous to
hold liquids.
Demonstrating the inconsistency of William’s ceramics, this
piece is not marked with the pottery location or the date
on which it was fired.
Floral two handled vase
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1904
In 1877, William was making a reputation for himself as a
talented craftsman and he was commissioned by Lord
Leighton to oversee the installation of his collection of
ancient Middle Eastern tiles in the Arab Hall at Leighton
House. De Morgan repaired broken tiles, made
replacements for missing pieces and arranged the whole
decorative scheme. The commission, which took William
over two years to complete, allowed him to study the
antique tiles extensively at first-hand and this informed his
own techniques, glaze recipes and pattern designs
throughout his career as a potter.
The shape, colour palette and imagery of this two handled
vase are inspired by the ceramics of the Middle East. It is
very heavy and crudely made and was most likely a
practise piece executed by a junior member of staff.
Artichoke in Vase dish
De Morgan and Co.
1872-1904
This large red lustre dish is decorated with an image of a
vase holding an artichoke and Islamic inspired flowers with
a leaf decoration. The rim of the dish features a scale
pattern which is another motif often found in Islamic
designs.
William was unusual in always
decorating the reverse of his
plates. This particular plate is
decorated on the back with
concentric circles and a foliate
scrolling pattern.
This piece was bought in as a “blank” plate from another
ceramic supplier for decoration by William’s firm. It
therefore does not have a De Morgan impress stamp. Nor
does it have any painted marks denoting the year of
production or the decorator.
Squirrel dish
De Morgan and Co.
Decorator: Charles Passenger
Sands End Pottery, Fulham
1888-1904
This gold lustre dish is decorated with two squirrels against
a fruiting tree on a white ground. William often used the
device of a fruit tree as a background as it provided good
coverage for the surface.
concentric circles in gold and
brown. They would have been
created by painting glaze onto
the dish whilst it was being spun
on the potter’s wheel or a
rotating decorator’s stand – a
bit like a cake stand.
Galleon charger
De Morgan and Co.
1882-1904
This Moonlight Lustre earthenware charger is decorated with
a silver galleon sailing on a ruby lustre sea. Sea motifs,
including fish and galleons, very regularly occurred in
William’s designs and this reflects the Victorians’ obsessions
with riverside pastimes such as angling, rowing and maritime
travel. The back is decorated with concentric rings in silver
and red on a blue ground.
This spectacular galleon charger
represents the pinnacle of William’s
technical mastery. The Moonlight
colourway of gold, silver and copper
metal oxides on a dark blue
background creates a dreamlike
quality on the dish.
Each metallic oxide required a different firing temperature
and so the bowl underwent at least five firings, making its
creation all the more miraculous.
Wide rimmed Fish dish
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1904
This dish is decorated with two red and gold fish in the centre
and a decorative pattern of winged fish on the rim. Sea
motifs, including fish and galleons, very regularly occurred in
William’s designs and this reflects the Victorians’ obsessions
with riverside pastimes such as angling, rowing and maritime
travel.
The back is decorated with red
lustre on a white ground with a
pattern of foliate swirls on the rim.
This piece was bought in as a
“blank” plate from another ceramic
supplier for decoration by William’s
firm. It therefore does not
have a De Morgan impress stamp. Nor does it have any
painted marks denoting the year of production or the
decorator. However due to the quality of the glaze we can
assume it was made in the later period of the pottery.
Bird tile panel
De Morgan and Co.
1872 – 1904
This tile panel is decorated with a curious-looking bird
which appears to have the head and body of a parrot with
the tail of a peacock.
William enjoyed using bird motifs in his decorative designs
as their colour plumage could be easily manipulated to fit
the form of the ceramics.
Fan tile panel
De Morgan and Co.
1872 – 1904
This tile panel, decorated with floral elements within a fan
shape, is inspired by the Islamic design motifs which
William so loved.
The pink/brown glaze is created with the use of the metal
maganese and the green and blue glazes contained nickel,
cobalt and copper.
William also produced this pattern using a variety of other
colours.
Swallow and Honeysuckle tile panel
De Morgan and Co.
1872 – 1904
This tile panel is a rather busy design of swallows
interwoven with a honeysuckle planted in a blue decorative
vase. Despite how complicated the overall pattern is, there
remains a pleasing balance between the individual
elements of pattern.
The background of the tile panel is a rather unusual yellow
glaze which would have been created with lead pigments.
Michael Archangelus
William De Morgan
Pencil, watercolour and body colour
on brown paper
1865-1872
William met William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones in the
mid-1860s when he was training to be an artist at the Royal
Academy. He became sound friends with the two pioneers of
the Arts and Crafts Movement and started to contribute work
to their interior design company.
In particular, William worked alongside Burne-Jones to design
stained glass. Soon he was receiving his own commissions
and he is known to have produced designs for windows in a
number of churches.
This cartoon (preliminary drawing) is for a window made for
St. Michael's Church, Rocester, Staffordshire.
A Bird in a Branch
William De Morgan
watercolour and body colour on
paper
1865-1904
This watercolour by William De Morgan is highly competent
and demonstrates his skill as an artist as well as a designer.
It is unknown for what purpose the study of the bird in the
branch was made – but it was most likely intended as a
realistic element to be included in a tile or tile panel.
Gold lustre Bird and Fish dish
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1904
This dish is an excellent example of how William manipulates
motifs to fit the form of the item which he is decorating.
The bird in the centre of the dish has splayed wings which
contort to and fill the circle. The fish motifs on the wide rim
of the bowl are angled to overlap over each other to create a
striking geometric design. The eyes on both the bird and the
fish are raised creating an additional element of surprise to
the pattern.
The back of the plate has
concentric rings in blue and gold
on a white ground. It appears
that an accident happened whilst
firing the dish and the wet glaze
adhered to another item –
causing damage to the reverse.
Gold lustre Fish dish
De Morgan and Co.
1872 -1904
This gold lustre earthenware dish is decorated with a fish in
the centre and alternating gold and white S scrolls on the rim.
Sea motifs, including fish and galleons, very regularly
occurred in William’s designs and this reflects the Victorians’
obsessions with riverside pastimes such as angling, rowing
and maritime travel.
The reverse of the dish is
decorated with a leaf and berry
pattern.
The dish is a bought in blank
from a commercial supplier
and has an unidentified
impress mark on the reverse.
Fantastic Dragon dish
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1904
The centre of this dish is decorated with a fantastic creature
which appears to be cross between a dragon and a crocodile
in blue and gold lustre. A stylise tulip pattern is presented on
the wide rim.
The reverse is decorated with a light blue glaze and
concentric bands of cobalt.
The decoration on the front of
the plate is highly accomplished
and at odds with the crude
application of glaze on the
reverse. It is likely that a less
experienced decorator was given
the task of painting the back of
the plate.
Coiled Snake dish
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1904
This striking dish contains a coiled snake on a gold lustre
background in the centre of the plate with a stylised leaf and
flower pattern on the wide rim.
Snakes were a popular motif for William who used them in a
multitude of designs. Their sinuous scaled bodies were very
adaptable and he was able to contort them in order to cover
many different forms.
The reverse is decorated with
concentric bands of gold on a white
ground. There has been some
contamination to the glaze of the
reverse leading to the pink staining
shown on the picture to the right.
Galleon and Fish dIsh
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
This earthenware dish decorated in ruby and gold lustre with
a two-masted ship sailing on a choppy sea. The ship has a
bird figurehead and sailors can be seen on board. In the sea
three fish are swimming. Sea motifs, including fish and
galleons, very regularly occurred in William’s designs and this
reflects the Victorians’ obsessions with riverside pastimes
such as angling, rowing and maritime travel.
concentric bands of ruby lustre.
This plate has superb lustre
iridescence. The ruby lustre
effect is created by applying
copper metal pigments to the
plate during the firing process.
Dolphin dish
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
This small red lustre dish is decorated with two fanciful
dolphins on a background consisting of a wave-like pattern.
Sea motifs, including fish and galleons, very regularly
occurred in William’s designs and this reflects the Victorians’
obsessions with riverside pastimes such as angling, rowing
and maritime travel.
concentric circles and decorative
marks. This plate has superb
lustre iridescence. The ruby
lustre effect is created by
applying copper metal pigments
to the plate during the firing
process. The plate was bought in
as a ‘blank’ from another
company for decoration by the
pottery’s staff.
Ruby lustre dish with Two Bulls
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
This ruby lustre earthenware dish is decorated with two bulls
facing each other on a cream ground covered by ruby lustre
spirals. William used techniques such as spirals or sprigs of
grass in the background to vary his patterns and create
different designs whilst using the same foreground motifs.
decorated on the back with a fun
pattern of dots and brush
strokes.
The plate was bought in as a
‘blank’ from another company
for decoration by the pottery’s
staff.
Deer and Fruit Tree dish
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
This ruby lustre earthenware dish is decorated with a deer
against a fruit tree. William often used the device of a fruit
tree as a background as it provided good coverage for the
surface. This plate has superb lustre iridescence. The ruby
lustre effect is created by applying copper metal pigments to
the plate during the firing process.
concentric bands of ruby lustre.
The plate was bought in as a
‘blank’ from another company
for decoration by the pottery’s
staff.
Floral Dish
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
This very deep bowl has a dimpled bottom in red lustre with
white and red lustre seed pod decoration on the rim. The
dish is a very unusual form for William to use and was bought
in as a ‘blank’ from another company for decoration by the
pottery’s staff.
decorated on the back with a
pattern of brush strokes which
conform to the contours of the
dish.
Animal tile panel
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
William often referred to mythology and folklore as a source
of inspiration for his ceramics and this selection of tiles
framed in a copper frame include Pegasus and a griffin as
well as more recognisble creatures such as a lynx and wild
boar.
William could vary the look of his tile designs simply by
changing the background from plain to decorative or by
changing the colour of the tile.
These tiles are just a few of many hundreds of charming
designs produced by William which were perennially popular
in the late Victorian period. A typical application of these tiles
would be in a nursery bathroom.
Ruffled BBB tiles
De Morgan and Co.
1872 - 1904
The BBB tile was designed by William for fireplace
manufacturer Barnard, Bishop and Barnard. William
produced tiles which they advertised in their catalogues to
sell alongside their cast iron fire surrounds.
Like many of William’s tile designs, BBB was first conceived
at his Chelsea pottery (1872-1882), and the pattern
continued to be in production until the closure of the
company. He produced the pattern in two sizes – 6” and 8” –
and several different colourways including blue, yellow,
green and manganese. William also produced variations on
the thistle theme including this design with “ruffled” petals.
Parrot tile
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1897
This parrot tile is part of a two-tile repeating pattern. The
second tile would be a mirror image of the first. The bottom
of the parrot’s tail is incorporated into the top of the second
tile. This pattern making device helps to ensure that the eye
follows the flow of the pattern from one tile to the next.
This tile pattern was very
popular and was produced
throughout the life of the
pottery, a span of some 35
years. This particular tile has a
Tudor rose impress mark on
the reverse, dating it to the
1888 – 1897 period.
Glaze Test tiles
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1897
Unfortunately, little detailed information regarding William’s
business practices and working processes survive. However,
we do know from letters that William’ wrote to friends and
colleagues that he was continually developing and trying out
new techniques and glaze recipes in order to perfect his craft
and produce the intense and vibrant colours that adorn his
wares. These glaze test tiles offer a rare glimpse into the
technical side of his pottery production.
The blue and purple glazes were created with the use of
cobalt, copper and manganese oxide pigments and the green
glazes were made by blending pigments which included
chrome and copper.
Marlborough tiles (top and bottom)
De Morgan and Co.
1888-1897
William produced this two-tile repeating pattern in a number
of colour ways including blue and yellow. He would also alter
the design by creating different patterns and textures in the
centre of each flower. Production of these tiles date from the
later period of his ceramic production.
The flattened nature of this design is inspired by William
Morris’s style. Prior to opening his own pottery in 1872,
William collaborated with William Morris and Edward BurneJones, creating ceramics and stained glass for the founders of
the most iconic interior design firm of the Victorian period.
Throughout his career William sold wares through Morris
and Co. and produced designs which were intended for
Morris interiors.
Gillow tiles
De Morgan and Co.
1872-1904
This dandelion tile with scrolling foliage is a bold and striking
design. The pattern was intended to be rotated and
alternated and could travel either horizontally or vertically for
use in a fire surround.
The flattened nature of this design is inspired by William
Morris’s style. Prior to opening his own pottery in 1872,
William collaborated with William Morris and Edward BurneJones, creating ceramics and stained glass for the founders of
the most iconic interior design firm of the Victorian period.
Throughout his career William sold wares through Morris and
Co. and produced designs which were intended for Morris
interiors.

A Family of Artists: Room 4

Transcription

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