Advanced Search 
Portière made from Morris & Co. Oak damask (one of four)
Embroidered by: May Morris (English, 1862–1938)
Designed by: William Morris (English, 1834–1896)
For: Morris & Co. (English)
Designed by: William Morris (English, 1834–1896)
For: Morris & Co. (English)
English
1892–93
Object Place: England
Medium/Technique
Silk damask, embroidered with silk in darning, satin, stem, long-armed cross, buttonhole and couching, with silk fringe and cotton lining
Dimensions
257.8 x 99.1 cm (101 1/2 x 39 in.) (including fringe)
Credit Line
In memory of J. S. and Sayde Z. Gordon from Myron K. and Natalie G. Stone
Accession Number1983.160d
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsTextiles
May Morris was a skilled embroiderer and avid gardener at her home in the Oxford countryside, Kelmscott Manor. The texts at the top of the
curtains reference medieval and contemporary poetry, including a garden-themed ode authored by her father, William Morris (whose tapestry
you will see later in the exhibition). Translating the beauty of her family’s garden through embroidery, her work is a direct reflection of this artist’s garden and its potential for storytelling.
curtains reference medieval and contemporary poetry, including a garden-themed ode authored by her father, William Morris (whose tapestry
you will see later in the exhibition). Translating the beauty of her family’s garden through embroidery, her work is a direct reflection of this artist’s garden and its potential for storytelling.
DescriptionSilk yarns embroidered on green floral damask "Oak" designed by William Morris for Morris & Co., 1880-1881. Signed "MM" (May Morris, daughter). Eight long-trunk fruit trees bearing plums, pomegranates, apples, oranges(?), cherry blossoms; climbing vines. Inscription at top of panel: LO SILKEN MY GARDEN and SILKEN MY SKY AND SILKEN MY APPLE BOUGHS HANGING ON HIGH.
Provenance1892, commissioned by Mrs. J. Monro Longyear (nee Mary Hawley Beecher, d. 1931), Marquette, MI [see note 1]; 1933, sold at Longyear's estate auction by Pierce S. Haley Appraiser and Auctioneer, Boston, MA, lot 4 under section "Draperies," to Mr. J. S. Gordon, Brookline, MA [see note 2]; by descent to Myron K. and Natalie G. Stone, New York; gift of the Stones in memory of J. S. and Sadye Z. Gordon (Accession date: March 9, 1983)
NOTES:
[1] In 1903, Mrs. Longyear moved her household in its entirety to Brookline, MA, at which point this embroidery came to MA. See "Early Modern Textiles: From Arts and Crafts to Art Deco," Marianne Carlano and Nicola J. Shilliam, MFA Publications, 1993, pg. 19, for a full description of provenance and a picture of the embroideries hanging in the Longyear home in 1909.
[2] Copy of original auction catalogue and bill of sale in curatorial file.
NOTES:
[1] In 1903, Mrs. Longyear moved her household in its entirety to Brookline, MA, at which point this embroidery came to MA. See "Early Modern Textiles: From Arts and Crafts to Art Deco," Marianne Carlano and Nicola J. Shilliam, MFA Publications, 1993, pg. 19, for a full description of provenance and a picture of the embroideries hanging in the Longyear home in 1909.
[2] Copy of original auction catalogue and bill of sale in curatorial file.