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Lot Essay
This is one of the finest examples of Alexander Fisher's rare textile works, being impressive in its portions and exquisite in its detail. It demonstrates his abilities as an international designer and is in keeping with contemporary trends both in Britain and Europe.
The curtain is one of six designed by Alexander Fisher (1864-1936) for the refurbishment of Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, and worked by the Royal School of Art Needlework. The curtains were hung in the Long Gallery, together with a series of ten tapestries designed by Fisher, three years later in 1907, depicting views of the Trossachs in Perthshire, Scotland, along with a stained glass window by William Morris.
Fanhams Hall was inherited by Anne Page, in 1900, from her father who was a local brewer. The house was sold to the National Westminster Bank in 1950 and the contents were auctioned later that year. Two of the 'Rose Tree' curtain panels are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Alexander Fisher was a leading and highly influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. His father worked as a ceramic enameller, but Fisher himself was more diverse and worked as an enameller, silversmith, painter, sculptor and designer. In addition to teaching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, in London, between 1896 and 1899, he wrote extensively in The Studio and The Art Journal and also exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. In 1890, he exhibited an embroidered panel design entitled 'Penelope', which had been worked in outline stitches in silk on linen by his wife and daughter.
The curtain is one of six designed by Alexander Fisher (1864-1936) for the refurbishment of Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, and worked by the Royal School of Art Needlework. The curtains were hung in the Long Gallery, together with a series of ten tapestries designed by Fisher, three years later in 1907, depicting views of the Trossachs in Perthshire, Scotland, along with a stained glass window by William Morris.
Fanhams Hall was inherited by Anne Page, in 1900, from her father who was a local brewer. The house was sold to the National Westminster Bank in 1950 and the contents were auctioned later that year. Two of the 'Rose Tree' curtain panels are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Alexander Fisher was a leading and highly influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. His father worked as a ceramic enameller, but Fisher himself was more diverse and worked as an enameller, silversmith, painter, sculptor and designer. In addition to teaching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, in London, between 1896 and 1899, he wrote extensively in The Studio and The Art Journal and also exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. In 1890, he exhibited an embroidered panel design entitled 'Penelope', which had been worked in outline stitches in silk on linen by his wife and daughter.