William Morriss Flowers (V&A Museum)

A beautiful and informative gift book devoted to designs by William Morris that incorporate flowersa central motif in his oeuvre and one that played a part in the majority of his designs.The leading figure of the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris (18341896) is one of the bestknown and most popular of all British designers. A passionate advocate of craftsmanship over mass production, he designed a huge variety of objects, but it is his spectacular carpet, fabric, and wallpaper patterns that have continued to capture the popular imagination and influence interior designers and the decorative arts. Around six hundred such designs are attributed to Morris, most of which are based on nature, including trees, plants, and flowers.This beautifully designed, accessibly priced gift book offers a wealth of designs by Morris where flowers are the principal motif. The text traces the origins of Morriss flowerbased designs: his own gardens at the Red House in Kent; sixteenth and seventeenthcentury herbals; illuminated medieval manuscripts; late medieval and Renaissance tapestries; and the range of decorated objects, particularly from the Islamic world, that Morris studied at the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum.Authored by Rowan Bain, senior curator at the William Morris Gallery, and lavishly illustrated with over one hundred color illustrations, William Morriss Flowers will both inform and delight. 120 color illustrations