The Forest - Peacock

The Peacock tapestry is a detail from a larger work by Morris & Co called The Forest tapestry, designed in 1887. It was commissioned by Aleco Ionides for his London home and designed by William Morris. The original includes the peacock at the left, with a lion in the middle dominating the piece, a rabbit and a raven. The Forest tapestry has these animals set against an ornate background of acanthus leaves, an element of the design attributed to Morris's colleague Henry Dearle.

William Morris Peacock

The William Morris Peacock tapestry shows this splendid bird standing on a branch, surrounded by the rich background of the leaves. As with all Morris & Co tapestries it has an impressive level of detail, and the level of craftmanship and effort that went into their design and manufacture is evident on viewing. The original is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. This tapestry is woven in France, lined and has a tunnel for ease of hanging - we provide tapestry hanging information with each order.

Please note that the above image shows the larger size. The smaller size has a slightly lighter colour.

Originally founded as Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co in 1861, Morris & Co were renowned for the design and production of very high quality decorative art. The range of works included textiles, tapestries and stained glass work, much of which still survives today. Founded on the Pre-Raphaelite principle of authenticity, William Morris embraced an ideal that viewed modern (i.e. 19th century) art as mere mass production, with none of the verve and dynamism of earlier approaches, in particular Medieval art, which they believed retained more of the artist's original personality in the work, lending it a uniqueness lost in mass production. All William Morris tapestries should be seen in this light, and are a testament to craftsmanship, technique and discipline.

Figaro, the cat, relaxes in the lovely home he shares with Lisa in New Jersey, in front of their newly acquired William Morris Peack tapestry hanging:-

Sharon in Fort Lee, NJ sent us a nice email after receiving her Peacock tapestry "Your business has the personal touch that is sorely lacking in most online transactions!"