Artwork Page for Kennet

Details / Information for Kennet

Kennet

c 1920
designer

William Morris

(British, 1834–1896)
Culture
England, Merton Abbey, 20th century
Medium
plain weave cotton, printed
Measurements
Overall: 90.2 x 97.8 cm (35 1/2 x 38 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry Chisholm 1937.698
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Morris said that he used the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert Museum) more than anyone alive. As one of the most knowledgeable textile historians of his day, Morris filtered his love of nature through the lens of history. Later textiles with strong diagonal orientation, such as Kennet, show a debt to the centuries-old Italian cut velvet that he had studied. Named after a river in the south of England that flows into the Thames, Kennet is an example of one of his patterns that could be purchased in a variety of colors and fabrics, including cotton, velveteen, silk, and Madras muslin, creating limitless possibilities to appeal to consumers’ needs and tastes.
Textile patterned with strips of vines winding vertically down, two rows of large, cream to yellow colored flowers running across them. A dense cream vine, foliage, and flower pattern is silhouetted against dark blue in the background. The upper row of flowers have leaves curling in towards a cluster of frills in the center while the lower row features flatter petals around a central cluster of seeds. Twisting half dark-green, half light-blue leaves fill the gap between each row of flowers.

Kennet

c 1920

William Morris

(British, 1834–1896)
England, Merton Abbey, 20th century

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