Owen Jones and Elizabethan Ornament

Illustration: Elizabethan Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.

The chapter dealing with Elizabethan Ornament in Owen Jones 1856 The Grammar of Ornament was actually written by John Burley Waring which is not unusual as a number of the chapters of the book were written by various friends, critics, and experts who Jones knew or was in contact with.

Waring himself saw the Elizabethan period of ornamentation as being part of a great continuation of an English style that had seen its formation in the gothic medieval period and was to continue to develop through the different periods of English history, finally reaching its very last flowering through the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James VI (I). It was under Henry's reign that a number of European elements, particularly those of the Italians and later the Dutch, came together with the native English decorative work, producing the style that we know as Tudor and Elizabethan.

Interestingly Waring saw the influence of the Italians and the Dutch as being associated with different reigns. He notes that Italian painters, decorators, and designers tended to populate Henry's court, while Elizabeth favoured the Dutch. Whether this was politically and religiously motivated is hard to say, though Waring himself makes it clear that he thought this was indeed the case. After all, it must be remembered that even though Henry broke with Rome he still died a Catholic. Elizabeth on the other hand, was raised and died as a Protestant.

 Illustration: Elizabethan Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.

In the latter part of Elizabeth's reign and in that of her Scottish successor James VI (I), whose reign Waring saw as a continuation of the general Elizabethan style, foreign influence tended to decrease and native English artists and craftsmen were seen to actively replace those of the Dutch at court. Whether this had something to do with an increase in confidence amongst indigenous workers, or political isolation, is unknown.

Waring concludes his chapter with the thought that easily fell in line with a number of mid-nineteenth century English critics of the decorative arts, including Owen Jones and later that of William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement. The regret, as Waring termed it, was in the wholesale adoption of the classical European style that was so much a part of the Georgian era, in particular. Many in the Arts & Crafts world saw classicism as an ugly pseudo-style, a bland template that was meant to fit all elements of the decorative arts.  A style that replaced the core value that was at the centre of English decoration, namely that of honesty to both decoration and materials. Classicism was seen as an affectation of the wealthy classes with no real roots or merit in the English landscape. 

 Illustration: Elizabethan Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.

Even though Waring and others were aware of the influence of Europe on English decorative arts within the Elizabethan era, they also saw that the core element that was English had remained and that the influence of the Italians and the Dutch had enhanced, rather than obscured the domestic style of England. The later Arts & Crafts movement, along with William Morris who was a particularly vociferous critic of classicism, saw this period as the last real flowering of English decoration. Many felt that the foreign tones of classicism had cut off the native English decorative and ornamental style at the root, leaving no real domestic or indigenous element to continue. This gave the English Arts & Crafts movement its basic drive which in some respects particular and peculiar to the English segment of the international Arts & Crafts movement. The drive to reconnect with the Elizabethan decorative arts world, to continue and develop the long tradition that stretched back to that of the medieval period, was paramount to many. Consigning classicism to that of an anomaly within the English craft and decorative system, although a heartfelt wish, was never really going to succeed. 

English style is now often seen as being Georgian, with the town house and the countryseat with their intrinsically classical decorative work being forefront in people's imagination. Elizabethan ornament in the Georgian period was very often torn out, thrown away, or worse still given a classical makeover in order for it to be approved and acceptable to the new order.

Further reading links:
The Grammar of Ornament: All 100 Color Plates from the Folio Edition of the Great Victorian Sourcebook of Historic Design (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
Grammar of Ornament: A Monumental Work of Art
Art and Decoration in Elizabethan and Jacobean England: The Influence of Continental Prints, 1558-1625 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
Elizabethan & Jacobean Style
Art and Decoration in Elizabethan and Jacobean England: The Influence of Continental Prints, 1558-1625.(Review): An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
English homes of the early renaissance;: Elizabethan and Jacobean houses and gardens
An Elizabethan Inheritance: The Hardwick Hall Textiles
Fragments and details of architecture, decoration, and furniture of the Elizabethan period: 92 plates selected from "Studies from old English mansions."
Elizabethan interiors
Materializing Space at an Early Modern Prodigy House: The Cecils at Theobalds, 1564-1607
Art and Decoration in Elizabethan and Jacobean England: The Influence

Pima Basketry

Illustration: Selection of Pima basketry.

The Pima, or to be more accurate, the Akimel O'odham, live on both sides of the border between Arizona and Mexico, with many living alongside the banks of the Gila River. The Pima are closely related to a number of peoples throughout the region including the Tohono O'odham.

The Pima have always depended largely on a patchwork of traditional farming, hunting and gathering, though trade has also played an important role in the culture. Part of that trade was in the Pima's own craft skills, in particular basketry and woven textiles.

Illustration: Decorated Pima basket.

The basketry of the Pima is considered to be of an extremely high and defined status by collectors. The basketry produced by the Pima over a long period has such definite individual characteristics that it is said that often collectors can distinguish individual makers by the tell tale style of both weave and decorative pattern work. The finished pieces were usually so fine that older pieces can be extremely fragile. However, this very fineness has produced such extraordinary basketry that it is considered by many collectors to be some of the finest produced in the region.

Willow and indigenous and easily available native grasses that grew along the banks of the Gila River were used to produce the coiled basketry. Although the decorative pattern work looks timeless, it can very often be the result of feeding the European American market with work that suited their own aesthetic, so at least a certain proportion of the decoration could have been manipulated to appear 'authentic' and 'Indian' at least to untrained European eyes. After all, much of the basketry produced over long periods by indigenous peoples across North America, dealt with the practicalities of everyday domestic necessity that the craft provided, rather than that of the aesthetics of an ornament to be admired. This does not mean that decoration was an anathema to indigenous basketry weavers, but the tastes of the dominant American European culture has always muddied the origin of decorative indigenous crafts.

Illustration: Decorated Pima basket.

Basketry work amongst the Pima, as in much of North America, was the work of women. Grandmothers traditionally taught their granddaughters the often difficult and complex skill of coiled basketry. This skills base was then passed down from generation to generation in order to perpetuate the craft and the integral part it played in the life of the culture. Some of the last Pima names to be associated with the art of basketry are Marcela Brown, Ruth Giff, Madeline Lewis and Frances Peters.

Today, much of the basketry skills practised for countless generations has faded away. Because of irrigation dams further up stream from the land set aside for the Pima, rivers have dried up and the localised vegetation needed for this specialised form of basketry has faded away with the river. This has left an ageless craft skill along with the future generations that were to be the custodians of that skill, abandoned.

 Illustration: Pima dwellings 1900.

There are a number of online sites where Pima basketry can be both bought and viewed, the links are given below, along with a couple of links to Pima community websites and interesting books on Pima basketry to be found at Amazon.com

Further reading links:
Medicineman Gallery
East West Basketry
Gila River Indian Community
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Indian Basket Weaving: How to Weave Pomo, Yurok, Pima, and Navajo Baskets
The Pima and His Basket
Basketry of the Papago and Pima Indians (A Rio Grande Classic, 86)
AKIMEL O'ODHAM
The Tohono O'odham and Pimeria Alta (Images of America: Arizona)
Neither Wolf Nor Dog: American Indians, Environment, and Agrarian Change
Big Sycamore Stands Alone: The Western Apaches, Aravaipa, and the Struggle for Place (New Directions in Native American Studies)
Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story
The Desert Southwest: Four Thousand Years of Life and Art
Indian Basketry Artists of the Southwest: Deep Roots, New Growth (Contemporary Indian Artists)
A History of the Southwest: The Land and Its People

Carpathian Embroidery

Illustration: Embroidered trousers for a man.

It can be confusing to designate exactly where Carpathia is and who indeed are the Carpathians. The Carpathian Mountains themselves are an area of eastern Europe that straddle parts of present day Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania, but for a number of centuries it was seen as being an integral part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire being the northern border of Hungary. Although Carpathia itself does not exist as a political entity, as a cultural area it does have some integrity.

Carpathia has a long, rich, and diverse embroidery history, taking in and re-using the contacts and cultural craft skills of the diverse population that makes up the area. The ethnic makeup of the general area of Carpathia has always been incredibly rich and complex. Throughout its history, the area has been home to Hungarians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Russians, Jews, Germans, Roma, Czechs, Romanians, Greeks, and Armenians. From this patchwork of peoples, it is understandable how rich and layered the craft skills of the area truly are.

Illustration: The Carpathian Mountains.

Interestingly Carpathia is one of the few areas of Europe where men are involved in embroidery. It has a long tradition of male embroiderers who were seen as professionals rather than amateurs. They produced ever more complex and detailed embroidered embellishment work for male coats and trousers. These were to be seen externally and so there was always an element of genuine pride in the skilled work that had been achieved, but inevitably, there was also an element of male posturing. Shirt embroidery, on the other hand, was less noticeable and so was therefore produced by women, usually on an amateur basis by a member of a family, rather than at a professional level.

Illustration: Pasul Bran, Romania.

It is difficult to trace the source of all the elements that go to make up Carpathian embroidery design and decorative work. In an area of Europe that has managed to maintain a relatively ethnically diverse population, compared to the rest of the continent, this task is made all the more confusing and complex. However, rather than trying to literally and culturally unpick the threads that go to make up Carpathian embroidery, it is probably best to celebrate the many peoples and cultures that make Carpathian embroidery the astonishing feast for the eyes that it is today.

I am including some links to the general area of the Carpathian Mountains. Anyone wishing to visit this fascinating and extraordinary part of Europe, or just to learn more about the area should take a look at the Reference links section below.

Further reading links:
Romanian Carpathian Mountains
Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains
Romanian Carpathians imagery
Ukrainian Carpathians imagery
The Complete International Book of Embroidery
Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide to Traditional Patterns
Treasures from the Embroiderers' Guild Collection

Helene Davis and Hand Dyed Artwork

Illustration: Helene Davis. Black Rain.

Probably the most fundamental and guiding principal that colours, literally, the work of textile artist Helene Davis is that of her passion for hand-dyed fabric. Davis, after using bought quilting fabrics for a number of years, moved into the process of hand-dying her own fabrics, making each quilting project a much more personal and individual process.

Illustration: Helene Davis. Black Rain (detail).

Hand-dying is an exciting but often less than accurate medium in which to work. It takes a lot of skill, time, and patience in order to arrive at a range of fabrics in colour-ways, tones, and scale that can easily be worked with. The fact that the images shown in this article have arrived at that point, is easily evident. Davis is in control of the medium from start to finish. By producing her own dyed fabrics, she is able to forge a link between colour and texture that is both personal and individual, something that can never be truly said for bought fabric.

Illustration: Helene Davis. Flight to the Future.

The abstract process and the compositional layout allows the artist free reign over colour balances, textural juxtapositions, and tonal harmonies that seem effortless to the viewer, but are obviously hard to produce creatively without appearing indistinct and in many ways incomplete.

Davis is well aware that her coloured and textured fabrics have to balance compositionally, optically, and even emotionally. Each of these compositions has areas that are cut up into smaller sections of light and dark, placed next to areas where the dyed fabric is allowed to expand over much larger sections of the work. This carefully balanced juxtaposition helps to break up the colours and textures and allow the eye to roam over the composition, picking out small sections and details of interest.

Illustration: Helene Davis. Infrared.

Close ups of Davis work show that the stitch-making is also part of the process, as it is in many art quilts. However, by looking at a close up detail of Black Rain for example, it can be seen that the artist has also added a whole section of beading work as part of the textural and tonal process. This added mark-making process produces yet another layer of textural quality to the piece, allowing the work to be seen from a distance or close up, producing a different quality and experience every time.

Illustration: Helene Davis. Nexus.

These abstract pieces of artwork have been created by using a number of the processes found within the hand-dying craft and that of quilting. However, the way they are re-used and re-combined allows the artist to produce an extraordinarily tactile and sensory experience of colour, texture, and tone. Each piece is a balanced use of these processes, and one that cannot be re-conceived or re-connected after its creation.

Illustration: Helene Davis. World Upside Down.

The work of Helene Davis can be found on a number of sites on the Internet. Some of her work can be seen here. There is also a site, which can be found here, where many more of her hand-dyed fabrics can be seen.

All images are used with the kind permission of the artist.

William Morris, Tulip and Lily and Mass Production

Tulip and Lily was a carpet designed by William Morris in 1875. The design is a typical example of the English Arts & Crafts movement. In both its intrinsic style and ideal, Morris was able to produce a pattern that summed up the best in his own interpretive style and that of the movement as a whole. This effortless repeat pattern is perhaps one of the simplest pieces of design work produced by Morris, but also one of his most creatively successful, perhaps because of its simplicity 

William Morris himself did not start carpet weaving until 1875, so Tulip and Lily would have been one of the first patterns to be produced by Morris & Co. However, Morris was not wholly responsible for the early carpets as they were produced on an industrial scale by commercially motivated companies, this particular carpet was initially manufactured in West Yorkshire. Admittedly this sat uncomfortably with Morris and his creative ethics, but he was pragmatic enough to realise that he had neither the equipment nor the talent to start wholesale production of carpet design. It would have been part of Morris long term plan, as it was with most of the mediums he and his company dealt with, to eventually rest production away from industry and take over production himself, under his own identity and ethics, which indeed he did do.

Illustration: William Morris. Tulip and Lily, 1875.

The move to hand, or at least a form of low-spec industrial production usually meant both a high rise in costs, which ultimately had to be moved on to the customer. By taking on the challenge of hand-production Morris had to tackle the intrinsic problem shared by many of the Arts & Crafts inspired companies that grew up around both the movement and that of Morris & Co. Hand production left little room for the core philosophy of the Arts & Crafts ethic, namely that good, honest, well-constructed and well-designed products should be made available to all classes and segments of society. By taking production away from the machine, the mass of the population were soon left far behind with no means in which to procure any of William Morris's products.

 Illustration: William Morris. Tulip and Lily, 1875.

Morris and other designers that supplied genuine Arts & Crafts accessories were painfully aware that they were failing in their goal and in the fundamental philosophy of the movement. It was a difficult and uncomfortable stand to take and the accusation of hypocrisy was always present. Perhaps in the long run the prodigious examples produced by William Morris over a long and varied career, are best seen as examples of the way production could be interpreted or even re-interpreted. As we begin to reach a crisis point where mass-production is being seen as part of the problem, and not necessarily part of the solution to life in the twenty first century, we may well have to re-examine the philosophy of Morris and that of the Arts & Crafts movement. It may well be time to begin making some painful decisions concerning the excesses of the consumer society and our own consumption. Indeed, it was the consumer society that was to develop and vastly multiply in William Morris own lifetime. A phenomenon that he spent much of his life actively trying to contain and guide, admittedly with little or no effect.

Further reading Links:
Designs of William Morris (Phaidon Miniature Editions)
V&A Pattern: William Morris (Hardcover with CD)
William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home
News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)
William Morris by Himself: Designs and Writings (Artist by Himself)
William Morris & Red House: A Collaboration Between Architect and Owner
William Morris Full-Color Patterns and Designs (Pictorial Archives)
William Morris: Patterns & Designs (International Design Library)
William Morris on Art and Socialism
William Morris (Temporis)
William Morris and Morris & Co.
The Essential William Morris Anthology (12 books) [Illustrated]
William Morris
William Morris Designs CD-ROM and Book (Full-Color Electronic Design Series)
William Morris
William Morris Decor and Design
The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design
The Gardens of William Morris