Designed by

the Century Guild, possibly Herbert Horne

Woven by

Morris & Co., c. 1884

Materials

Hand-knotted wool on a cotton warp, with jute binding wefts

Dimensions

129.5 x 83.8 cm (51 x 33 in.)

Additional Remarks

Although not designed by Morris, this rug is identical in technique to other early small examples made by Morris & Co. The firm produced rugs for the Century Guild, a commercial organization formed in 1882 by three designers: A. H. Mackmurdo, Selwyn Image, and Horne. A precursor of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, the guild survived for only a few years. Significantly, Morris & Co. advertised in Hobby Horse, the Century Guild’s influential magazine, which was first published in 1884. Of the two existing rug designs thought to have a Morris & Co. and Century Guild provenance, this is, stylistically, the furthest from Morris’s other designs. Of the three designers associated with the guild, it is stylistically closest to the work of Horne (1864–1916). Linda Parry