The Donnemara
An exceptionally large and rare Arts & Crafts carpet, designed by C.F.A. Voysey, made by Alexander Morton & Co., Killybegs, Donegal, Ireland, circa 1900.
19ft 3in x 13ft 11in : 585cm x 423cm
In 1898, Alexander Morton (1844-1923), who had a textile manufacturing firm, arrived in Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Ireland, together with an experienced weaver of Axminster carpets from Wilton. There they established workshops to make carpets, providing much needed employment both for weavers and the sheep farmers who supplied the wool. Numerous exhibitions, organized by Liberty’s the department store, promoted these carpets which enjoyed important patronage: King Edward for his own bedroom, Queen Victoria for Osborne, the Prime Minister’s residence and the White House, Washington. In the USA, Gustav Stickley promoted through his magazine, The Craftsman, Arts & Crafts ideals and he sold Donegal carpets at his Craftsman showrooms on West 34th Street, New York and Boylston Street, Boston.
In the September 1893 issue of The Studio, Voysey was interviewed on his thoughts regarding inspiration from nature. In this article it was said of Voysey that ‘…although he has gone directly to Nature, his work will not resemble (that of) any of his predecessors, he has become an inventor.’ This present carpet illustrates the point, with simplification of organic form, flattened perspective and decorative aesthetic became the main stylistic criteria for the Arts and Crafts artists and designers.
Though the Donnemara design has been woven on numerous occasions, each carpet has their own individual character, the present carpet, of exceptionally large format and enlarged border, allows the design to be wider than normal and the large size would certainly indicate a commissioned piece.
Literature:
The Art Journal, 1908, p. 18, 22.
Linda Parry, Arts & Crafts rugs for Craftsman Interiors, The Crab Tree Farm Collection, Norton, New York, 2010, p.60-64.
Price : P.O.A.
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