Thomas Wardle of Leek, Staffordshire was a skilful, creative visionary. He was more than a silk dyer and manufacturer who produced beautiful things; .....From a family of silk dyers from Macclesfield, Cheshire. From 1875 he printed cloth using his own natural dyes for William Morris. Thomas was the brother of Morris' manager, George. From 1878 Thomas also printed designs for Liberty's introducing 'Art Colours', produced from natural dyes.
Wardle produced this Italian Renaissance design fabric, heavily influenced by the Ottoman empire, for Watts & Company, the well known ecclesiastical furnishing company. The pears are Wardle's interuptation. Almost certainly sourced from Ornamente der Gewerbe by Friedrich Fischbach (1874). The original would have been crimson silk and gold metal thread.*
Royal Burgundy, two lengths of block printed cotton velveteen, with large ogival shapes, a repeat of pears round the largest, designed by Thomas Wardle, in two shades of green on a neutral ground.
8ft 4 in x 49 in ; 2.54 x 1.25 wide
Selvedge to selvedge 24 1/2 in;
Repeat
Some fading and one paint spot.
* Brenda King Dye Print, Stitch. Textiles by Thomas and Elizabeth Wardle, p 49
The V & A has a similar red lengthT.664-1996
See: Leek Embroidery Society in ARTICLES
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