Tulips by John Illingworth Kay for the Silver Studio

Tulips

Designer: John Illingworth Kay for The Silver Studio (attributed)

Designed c. 1900

Printed velveteen

272 x 75 cm (107 x 29 1/2 inches)

Another work by the same designer

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A close friend of Napper and Butterfield, Kay worked at the Silver Studio from 1892 to 1900, producing book covers, textiles and wallpaper designs. He then joined Essex & Co, wallpaper manufacturers, but may also have been working for Baker, Morton Sundour, Grafton's, and Liberty. After leaving Essex & Co. in 1922 Kay went to teach at the Central School of Arts & Crafts.

This design is clearly influenced by the work of C F A Voysey and Lindsay Butterfield. Its sinuous, clean lines are typical of English Arts & Crafts at the turn of the century which influenced the continental Art Nouveau style but remained independent of it. [Arts & Crafts Textiles in Britain.]

References

Arts & Crafts Textiles in Britain. Exhibition Catalogue. The Fine Art Society in Association with Francesca Galloway, nd. No. 46.

"Silver Studio." The Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture at Middlesex University (UK). Viewed 9 November 2007.

Last modified 31 October 2007