Lot Essay
The field design of this carpet is copied from the "Montreal" carpet designed by John Henry Dearle in 1895 for W.K. D'Arcy's house, Stanmore Hall, Middlesex. The border appears to be a modified version of the border design originally used for the "Bullerswood" carpet, designed by William Morris and Dearle in 1899 for the drawing room of "Bullerswood," Chiselhurst, Kent (see Parry, Linda, "Hammersmith Carpets," Hali, Issue 28, 1985, p. 12 and 13, figs. 2 and 3 for illustrations of each).
It was common for Morris & Co. clients to commission carpets from existing designs, often mixing and matching field and border designs to suit their liking. The current carpet was not woven at the famed Morris Looms at Merton Abbey. More likely, it is an example woven for Morris & Co. by the Wilton Royal Carpet Company, or perhaps even subcontracted by Morris & Co. to a workshop in India. This carpet was part of a commission for the Adelaide Club ordered from Morris & Co. by Tom E. Barr Smith in 1926. Barr Smith was the eldest son of Robert and Joanna Barr Smith, who were among the most important patrons of Morris & Co. from the 1880s through to the 1920s (see lots 427 and 428 of this catalogue for other carpets commissioned by the Barr Smiths).
It was common for Morris & Co. clients to commission carpets from existing designs, often mixing and matching field and border designs to suit their liking. The current carpet was not woven at the famed Morris Looms at Merton Abbey. More likely, it is an example woven for Morris & Co. by the Wilton Royal Carpet Company, or perhaps even subcontracted by Morris & Co. to a workshop in India. This carpet was part of a commission for the Adelaide Club ordered from Morris & Co. by Tom E. Barr Smith in 1926. Barr Smith was the eldest son of Robert and Joanna Barr Smith, who were among the most important patrons of Morris & Co. from the 1880s through to the 1920s (see lots 427 and 428 of this catalogue for other carpets commissioned by the Barr Smiths).