The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

Carolyn Sargentson, independent art historian and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum, outlines how changing social practices altered the designs and styles of furniture, both for the nobility and the lower classes.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013.

The exhibition and catalogue are made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

Video/Audio (4)

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
(00:00:52)

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10549 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16461 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3008 views

Angeli Laudantes

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (British, Birmingham 1833–1898 Fulham)

Designer:: John Henry Dearle (British, 1860–1932)
Artist:: From a cartoon painted in 1894 by John Henry Dearle (British, 1860–1932)
Manufactory:: Manufactured by Morris & Company (British)
Maker:: Weaving workshop at Merton Abbey Tapestry Works (British, founded 1881)
Maker:: Woven by John Martin (British, active ca. 1884–after 1915)
Patron:: Commissioned by Major Charles Syndey Goldman
Date:: 1898
Culture:: British, Merton Abbey
Medium:: Dyed wool and silk on undyed cotton warp (15 warps per inch; 5-6 per cm.)
Dimensions:: Overall (Confirmed): 92 1/2 x 80 in. (235 x 203.2 cm) [PR: 92 1/4; PL: 92 1/2; Top: 79 1/4; Center width: 79 3/4; Bottom: 80"]
Classification:: Textiles
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund, 2008
Accession Number:: 2008.8a–c

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 556

Description

This marvelously preserved tapestry representing two angels playing on harps of gold against a rich floral ground is an exemplary demonstration of the character and style of the tapestries made at the Merton Abbey Tapestry Works under the direction of William Morris. Morris founded the workshop at Merton, in Surrey, near London, in1881 as part of his vision to use the integrity of medieval craftsmanship to revitalize the art and design of postindustrial Britain. These angelic figures were first conceived in 1878 for a stained glass window for Salisbury Cathedral by Edward Burne-Jones, Morris's lifelong friend and collaborator. In 1894 the figures and those in another window design provided the inspiration for two new tapestry cartoons painted by John Henry Dearle, the principal weaver and designer at the tapestry works. Dearle enhanced the linear emphasis and patterning of Burne-Jones's figures by placing them on a millefleur ground inspired by medieval tapestries. This tapestry is the second weaving of the design. It was commissioned by Major Charles Sydney Goldman as a stand-alone panel, possibly in anticipation of his impending marriage.
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription: In scroll: "angeli laudantes"
Provenance

Commissioned by Major Charles Syndey Goldman , 1898 ; by descent, Commander Penryn Victor Monck ; by descent, Rory Monck (until 2006; to Bonhams) ; [ sale, Bonham's, Knightsbridge , November 14, 2006, lot 207; sold to Coulborn ] ; [ Thomas Coulborn & Sons (2006–08; sold to MMA) ]
See also
Who
John Martin (48)

Morris & Company (41)

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (28)

Merton Abbey Tapestry Works (11)

John Henry Dearle (7)

Major Charles Syndey Goldman (1)
What
Silk (32,922)

Textiles (32,752)

Cotton (11,987)

Wool (9,527)

Tapestries (2,187)

Dyeing (296)
Where
Europe (148,586)

United Kingdom (25,557)

England (9,102)

Surrey (32)

Merton Abbey (20)
When
A.D. 1800-1900 (80,185)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Nineteenth–Century European Textile Production

The Pre–Raphaelites

Great Britain and Ireland, 1800–1900 A.D.

WHAT IS MYMET?

Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

Angeli Laudantes

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (British, Birmingham 1833–1898 Fulham)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store

WHAT IS MYMET?

Already have a mymet account? Sign in

Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

Related Content

Angeli Laudantes

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (British, Birmingham 1833–1898 Fulham)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store