Daisy tile by William Morris

A single tile, white ground, with Daisy decoration in green, orange and blue. The humble daisy was a motif used repeatedly over the years by William Morris in designs for different media. As early as 1860 it was incorporated into his design for wall-hangings at Red House, informed by an illumination: ‘The Dance of the Wodehouses’ in Froissart’s Chronicles, a fifteenth-century French manuscript. Morris knew the original in the British Museum well, and owned a copy of HN Humphrey’s book 'Illuminated Illustrations of Froissart', published in 1844, in which ‘The Dance of the Wodehouses’ was illustrated. ‘Daisy’ was also one of the first wallpapers Morris designed, which went into production in 1864. So it is not surprising that he chose to design a ‘Daisy’ tile, along with other tiles depicting meadow flowers such as primrose and columbine, and that he again turned to Froissart for inspiration. ‘Daisy’ tiles first went into production in around 1862 and remained in production until the Firm closed in 1938, although over that period the design underwent various changes. See 'William Morris Tiles' by Richard and Hilary Myers (London: Richard Denis, 1996)

Record ID:C7
Measurements:height: 13 cm, width: 13 cm, depth: 0.7 cm
Classification:Ceramics
Artist:Morris, William
Medium:earthenware