Lot Essay
The set of six tapestries illustrating the Quest of the Holy Grail were originally commissioned from Morris & Co. in 1890 by the Australian mining millionaire, William Knox D'Arcy, for the dining room at his home, Stanmore Hall, in Middlesex. The collaboration between William Morris and his friend, Sir Edward Burne-Jones in this venture represents the climax of their co-operation in the revival of the art of tapestry weaving in England and one of the finest artistic achievements of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The choice of subject also reflects their devotion to the Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, a work which Morris and Burne-Jones first encountered in 1855 whilst still undergraduates at Oxford. Burne-Jones in his later life returned to this early source of inspiration for a number of his works, but the legend which described the Quest of the Holy Grail was the one which had the most profound effect on his imagination. He wrote "Lord! How that San Graal story is ever in my mind and thoughts continually. Was ever anything in the world beautiful as that is beautiful? If I might clear away all the work that I have begun, if I might live and clear it all away and dedicate the last days to that tale - if only I might".
The physical features of the large and imposing dining room at Stanmore Hall, with its wide chimney breast and vast double windows, were central factors in determining not only the choice of subject matter, but also the final scale of the narrative panels. At the time Morris wrote: "I have had a careful discussion with Mr. Burne-Jones... and after considering the spaces to be filled, the light in the room and other circumstances... the subject chosen is the Quest for the Sancgreal". Morris later recorded that The Quest was chosen for two reasons - firstly because he believed it to be the most beautiful and complete of the Arthurian legends and secondly, because the tale was "...in itself a series of pictures..", and as such, the most suitable subject for the appointed setting. Burne-Jones' acknowledgement of the relation between the subject and its setting is clear from towering scale of his figures, their heads in some cases deliberately cut to enhance the dramatic effect when viewed some thirteen feet from the ground. A number of scenes were considered by Morris and Burne-Jones before deciding on the final set, which were:
The Knights of the Round Table Summoned to the Quest by the Strange Damsel
The Arming and Departure of the Knights
The Failure of Sir Lancelot to enter the Chapel of the Holy Grail (see lot 59)
The Failure of Sir Gawaine (see lot 60)
The Attainment of the Holy Grail by Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival (see lot 58)
The Ship
Although Burne-Jones designed the figure studies for each panel, the exquisite mille-fleurs foregrounds and the decoration on the clothing and figures were all designed by J. H. Dearle, Morris's chief tapestry weaver and assistant. The process by which these two schemes were combined was quite unique. The original designs by Burne-Jones (no more than 20 inches high) were photographed with the enlarged prints then being worked on and embellished by both Burne-Jones and Dearle, before being presented to the weavers for transfer to the looms. At the time of the Stanmore Hall weavings, there were three upright looms at the Merton Abbey Works, each employing three weavers. The tapestries were woven at a thickness of fourteen threads to the inch, using vegetable dyed wools, combined with silks and mohairs to add richness and tone to the finished work. Although strictly following the design from the working cartoon, the weavers were allowed considerable latitude in interpretation of the subtlety of tints and shading, a consideration which Morris fully supported, maintaining that "...the executants themselves ...(are) both in nature and training, artists, not merely animated machines." (See footnote to following lot.)
The triumph of the Holy Grail series for Stanmore Hall was quickly acknowledged and its success marked a turning point for the Merton Abbey tapestry works, which up to this time was facing the very real possibility of closure through lack of work. Employing the same principal weavers as for the original set, a further two weavings were undertaken by the Merton Abbey works. In 1895/6 a partial set of three panels with one verdure was woven for the Drawing Room at Compton Hall Wolverhampton, home of Lawrence Hodson. These were sold back to Morris & Co. in 1906, when they were purchased by subscription for the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The second additional weaving, this time of the complete set of narrative panels plus one verdure, was commissioned in 1898/9 by D'Arcy's friend and business partner George McCulloch, for his house at 184 Queensgate, London and it is from this weaving that the tapestries in this and the following three lots originate. After completion of the set in 1899, McCulloch purchased the original cartoons from Morris & Co. so that no further weavings could be made, but on his death McCulloch's widow sold the cartoons back to Morris & Co., enabling a further weaving of two panels - The Summons to the Quest and The Attainment - to be undertaken for Henry Beecham in 1927/32.
After changing hands several times after McCulloch's death in 1913, the complete set was last sold at Christie's in 1953, for 370 guineas. The Summons from this group later re-appeared at auction in 1980, when it was acquired by The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to augment their existing group of three Hodson panels, woven in 1895/6. The present group therefore represents the full residue of the 1898/9 weaving, barring only the small Ship panel and the single verdure.
For further details on the Holy Grail tapestries, see:
The Stanmore Tapestry. Some notes on the San Graal Arras, worked by William Morris, J.H. Dearle and others for Stanmore Hall, compiled by Archibald Bence Boyce Jones for W.K. D'Arcy, 1893/5 (Victoria and Albert Museum Library)
The Revival of Tapestry Weaving. An Interview with Mr. William Morris. The Studio, July 1894
The Arras Tapestries of the San Graal at Stanmore Hall. The Studio, October 1898
Aylmer Valance, Some Examples of Tapestry designed by Sir E. Burne- Jones and Mr. J.H. Dearle. The Studio, October 1908
Walter Crane and Gabriel Mourey, Exposition des Arts et Métiers de la Grand Bretagne au Pavillon de Marsan, parts I and II, Arts et Décoration, vol.35, January 1914, pp.129 & 185
Linda Parry, The Stanmore Hall Tapestries. Art at Auction, 1978/9
Linda Parry, The Tapestries of Edward Burne-Jones. The Apollo, November 1975
The physical features of the large and imposing dining room at Stanmore Hall, with its wide chimney breast and vast double windows, were central factors in determining not only the choice of subject matter, but also the final scale of the narrative panels. At the time Morris wrote: "I have had a careful discussion with Mr. Burne-Jones... and after considering the spaces to be filled, the light in the room and other circumstances... the subject chosen is the Quest for the Sancgreal". Morris later recorded that The Quest was chosen for two reasons - firstly because he believed it to be the most beautiful and complete of the Arthurian legends and secondly, because the tale was "...in itself a series of pictures..", and as such, the most suitable subject for the appointed setting. Burne-Jones' acknowledgement of the relation between the subject and its setting is clear from towering scale of his figures, their heads in some cases deliberately cut to enhance the dramatic effect when viewed some thirteen feet from the ground. A number of scenes were considered by Morris and Burne-Jones before deciding on the final set, which were:
The Knights of the Round Table Summoned to the Quest by the Strange Damsel
The Arming and Departure of the Knights
The Failure of Sir Lancelot to enter the Chapel of the Holy Grail (see lot 59)
The Failure of Sir Gawaine (see lot 60)
The Attainment of the Holy Grail by Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival (see lot 58)
The Ship
Although Burne-Jones designed the figure studies for each panel, the exquisite mille-fleurs foregrounds and the decoration on the clothing and figures were all designed by J. H. Dearle, Morris's chief tapestry weaver and assistant. The process by which these two schemes were combined was quite unique. The original designs by Burne-Jones (no more than 20 inches high) were photographed with the enlarged prints then being worked on and embellished by both Burne-Jones and Dearle, before being presented to the weavers for transfer to the looms. At the time of the Stanmore Hall weavings, there were three upright looms at the Merton Abbey Works, each employing three weavers. The tapestries were woven at a thickness of fourteen threads to the inch, using vegetable dyed wools, combined with silks and mohairs to add richness and tone to the finished work. Although strictly following the design from the working cartoon, the weavers were allowed considerable latitude in interpretation of the subtlety of tints and shading, a consideration which Morris fully supported, maintaining that "...the executants themselves ...(are) both in nature and training, artists, not merely animated machines." (See footnote to following lot.)
The triumph of the Holy Grail series for Stanmore Hall was quickly acknowledged and its success marked a turning point for the Merton Abbey tapestry works, which up to this time was facing the very real possibility of closure through lack of work. Employing the same principal weavers as for the original set, a further two weavings were undertaken by the Merton Abbey works. In 1895/6 a partial set of three panels with one verdure was woven for the Drawing Room at Compton Hall Wolverhampton, home of Lawrence Hodson. These were sold back to Morris & Co. in 1906, when they were purchased by subscription for the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The second additional weaving, this time of the complete set of narrative panels plus one verdure, was commissioned in 1898/9 by D'Arcy's friend and business partner George McCulloch, for his house at 184 Queensgate, London and it is from this weaving that the tapestries in this and the following three lots originate. After completion of the set in 1899, McCulloch purchased the original cartoons from Morris & Co. so that no further weavings could be made, but on his death McCulloch's widow sold the cartoons back to Morris & Co., enabling a further weaving of two panels - The Summons to the Quest and The Attainment - to be undertaken for Henry Beecham in 1927/32.
After changing hands several times after McCulloch's death in 1913, the complete set was last sold at Christie's in 1953, for 370 guineas. The Summons from this group later re-appeared at auction in 1980, when it was acquired by The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to augment their existing group of three Hodson panels, woven in 1895/6. The present group therefore represents the full residue of the 1898/9 weaving, barring only the small Ship panel and the single verdure.
For further details on the Holy Grail tapestries, see:
The Stanmore Tapestry. Some notes on the San Graal Arras, worked by William Morris, J.H. Dearle and others for Stanmore Hall, compiled by Archibald Bence Boyce Jones for W.K. D'Arcy, 1893/5 (Victoria and Albert Museum Library)
The Revival of Tapestry Weaving. An Interview with Mr. William Morris. The Studio, July 1894
The Arras Tapestries of the San Graal at Stanmore Hall. The Studio, October 1898
Aylmer Valance, Some Examples of Tapestry designed by Sir E. Burne- Jones and Mr. J.H. Dearle. The Studio, October 1908
Walter Crane and Gabriel Mourey, Exposition des Arts et Métiers de la Grand Bretagne au Pavillon de Marsan, parts I and II, Arts et Décoration, vol.35, January 1914, pp.129 & 185
Linda Parry, The Stanmore Hall Tapestries. Art at Auction, 1978/9
Linda Parry, The Tapestries of Edward Burne-Jones. The Apollo, November 1975