A fine William Morris 'Hammersmith' carpet, hand knotted for Morris & Co, designed by John Henry Dearle (1860-1932), Merton Abbey Works, Wimbledon, circa 1889

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, PERTH

the hand knotted wool pile on a cotton warp, the abrashed madder field of interlocking scrolling vines centred by a quatrefoil rosette linking four large palmettes enclosing tulips, framed by a sea green border of meandering tendrils and flowers
530 x 353 cm

Provenance

Mr John Sanderson, commissioned in 1889, Bullerswood House, Chislehurst, Kent
Mr Archibald Sanderson, Lesmurdie House, Western Australia, by descent from the above
Private Colllection, Perth, by descent from the above

Literature

Pamela Todd, William Morris and The Arts and Crafts Home, San Francisco, 2005, p. 50
Pat Kirkham, 'The Firm: Morris & Company', in Diane Waggoner (ed.), The Beauty of Life, William Morris & the Art of Design, (ex. cat.), New York, 2003, p. 54.
Linda Parry, William Morris, Phillip Wilson Publishers in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1996, p. 283
Ian Zaczek, William Morris, Paragon Books, London, 2001, p. 112
'Bullerswood Brought Home – A Dream Come True', Cloudband Magazine, September 2001, pp. 2-4

This striking carpet, designed by John Henry Dearle, was one of three new designs for Bullerswood House in Chislehurst, Kent. The interior decoration of Bullerswood House in 1889 was one of Morris & Co.'s most important commissions and probably the last decorative scheme that Morris supervised himself. The four large palmettes radiating from the central rosette show the clear influence of the 16th and 17th century Moghul (Indian) and Safavid (Persian) carpets that Morris collected. These motifs combined with floral devices unmistakably of his own produce a carpet of great beauty, harmony and balance. Testimony to the success of this design was the fact that it was used again for another very important commission, the decoration of Stanmore Hall, Middlesex, between 1890 and 1896. One of the other carpets commissioned for Bullerswood House is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (exhibit T.31-1923) and is regarded as the most accomplished and famous of Morris's carpet designs. Recent scholarship, which previously attributed the Bullerswood commission as to be entirely the work of William Morris, has now re-attributed the carpets from this important commission to John Dearle. (1)


The handmade carpets by Morris & Co. were extremely expensive and consequently only made to commission. It took one day to weave 2 inches on a loom and a 16 by 13 foot carpet cost over \xA3100 (2). In 1881 the looms for producing the hand made carpets were moved to the village of Merton Abbey, Wimbledon, Surrey. In spite of the relocation, the term 'Hammersmith' continued to be used to distinguish these large handmade carpets from the cheaper machine woven carpets made under licence by firms such as Wilton.


Bullerswood House was purchased by John Sanderson in 1879, on his return to England after some successful years in the wool trade in Australia. It was a typically mid-Victorian house ideally situated for commuting to London. Sanderson decided to modernise and rebuild it to house his large family. The young architect Ernest Newton was employed for the exterior together with Morris & Co. for the interior. Newton had previously worked for Norman Shaw, a co-designer with Phillip Webb of Morris's The Red House in Bexeley. The carpet remained in the house until 1921, when the house was sold. Some of the house contents were auctioned being purchased by Archibald Sanderson for Lesmurdie House, Western Australia. This carpet, with selected contents, were kept by the family and installed in their West Australian residence, Lesmurdie House. The carpet has passed by descent to the present owner.

Anthony Hurl


(1) Pamela Todd, William Morris and The Arts and Crafts Home, San Francisco, 2005, p. 50

(2) Pat Kirkham, 'The Firm: Morris & Company', in Diane Waggoner (ed.), The Beauty of Life, William Morris & the Art of Design, (ex. cat.), New York, 2003, p. 54

Condition Report

The carpet has overall consistent good colour throughout, although the red ground is slightly lighter at one end; the condition is commensurate with moderate use over time. There is wear and areas of loss to the macram\xE9 ends, particularly to the central section at each end, reflecting that this was an entrance carpet. The pile is consistent throughout, however there are areas of visible splitting and heavier wear, particularly at the centre and to the quatrefoil rosette and surrounding palmettes. There are areas of loss to the pile at each corner and losses to the exterior borders at either side. There is a ridge running through the centre of the carpet, likely to be associated with being folded during past long-term storage. There are areas of vertical separation and splitting to the pile along this ridge and two areas of repair measuring approximately 1 metre and 50 cm in length respectively.

Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's Australia is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Saleroom Notices regarding this sale. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT,ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS.