Woodland Rabbit Cushion Cover

Woodland Rabbit Cushion Cover

William Morris & Co.-19th Century

A fine Jacquard woven tapestry cushion cover. Three trees are depicted across the original tapestry (pear, chestnut and oak) with dense foliage below and two rabbits, a fox and a deer. In the foreground are many flowering plants including foxgloves, strawberries, hawkweed, bouncing betty, red tulips, blue daisies, and bluebells. Above each tree is a banner with an inscription written by William Morris in his "Verses for Pictures" published in 1891. Above the pear is the inscription, "By woodsman edge I faint and fail, by craftsman's edge I tell the tale." The chestnut tree bears the inscription: "High in the wood, high o'er the hall, aloft I rise, when low I fall." The oak tree bears the inscription: "Unmoved I stand what wind may blow, swift swift before the wind I go." The tapestry was commissioned in 1892 by Madeleine and Percy Wyndham for their country house Clouds, and woven at Merton Abbey by John Martin and William Sleath. William Morris wrote that tapestry is "the noblest of the weaving arts," allowing the weaver to achieve "depth of tone, richness of colour, and exquisite gradation of tints." These qualities are clearly evident in "Greenery" -a masterwork of the British Arts and Crafts movement.

Traditional Tapestries use only the finest quality materials & workmanship in all aspects of their collections, each item makes a superb gift to cherish for a lifetime.

• size 36x36cm approx
• Cushion not included
• Plain velvet back