Arts and Crafts Tiles ― Morris to Voysey

The Arts and Crafts movement was a reaction to the brutality of working life and the sterility of industrial design in Victorian Britain. Although Arts and Crafts were initially a medieval revival, the movement was always about the artist craftsman and the appropriate use of materials, rather than any single design tradition. The movement was inspired and led by William Morris, whose company was founded in 1861 and produced a full range of interior furnishings, including tiles. These were designed by Morris himself, and also by leading artists and architects of the day such as Edward Burne Jones and Philip Webb. The term Arts and Crafts was formalized in the late 1880s, and many designers artists and craftsmen joined Morris in this new movement, and leading designers including Walter Crane and CFA Voysey produced distinctive and now highly collectable ceramic tiles that were used to decorate the bathrooms and the fireplaces of the wealthy and discerneing. This book, with its companion on the work of William de Morgan, is the first complete introduction to British Arts and Crafts tiles from 1860 to 1920.

Rob Higgins is the author of Mid-Century Modern Tiles and William De Morgan. Will Farmer is a fine art and antiques auctioneer specializing in ceramics, glass, and 20th century decorative arts. He appears as an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2006. His books include Clarice Cliff and Poole Pottery.