Curtain of Jacquard-woven silk and wool, with lining and cords, designed by Christopher Dresser, made by J.W. & C. Ward, Halifax, 1870British Galleries:
This textile is made to one of Dresser's earliest commercial designs and is one the few textile patterns which we know he designed himself. The pattern shows a clever combination of traditional geometric frameworks for flat pattern with the stylised floral patterns derived from Eastern sources. [27/03/2003]Long curtain of Jacquard-woven silk and wool and with lining and cords. Showing a formalised Gothic structure of sprays of stylised flowers within a framework of fan-shaped ogee motifs. The design is woven in cobalt blue and gold on a brown ground. With 13 hanging brass rings plus a woven cotton braid along the top edge. Original twisted silk and woollen braid in browns and blue decorate each side edge. The curtain still has its mustard-coloured worsted lining but this has been patched in part with cream-coloured cotton. The curtain is not seamed and shows a full width and length of woven fabric.This curtain, made from a woven wool and silk furnishing textiles, is one of the few documented designs by Christopher Dresser. One of Dresser's earliest commercial designs, this shows the influence of the work of two earlier British designers, with its traditional geometric frameworks (following A. W. N. Pugin) enclosing stylised floral patterns derived from Eastern sources (Owen Jones).
The combination of silk and wool in this textile provided qualities that were much admired by designers and decorators associated with the Aesthetic Movement. The wool gives warmth and a luxurious draping quality, while the silk provides the pattern with colourful highlights.
This textile was exhibited in the London International Exhibition of 1871 and was illustrated in the <i>Art Journal</i> catalogue supplement for the exhibition. J. W. Ward & C. Ward, the firm that manufactured this textile, was one of the best-known 19th century British manufacturers of high-quality woven furnishings. They exhibited (under the name of J.W. Ward) at the 1851 Great Exhibition, where they earned an honorable mention, and continued to be a leader in the field, using designs by many of the leading freelance designers of the day.