Vintage View: The works of William Frend de Morgan

etreating Morris style wallpaper aside, it would be fair to say that Arts & Crafts era motifs are not something we would unleash all over the house today. Elaborate, ornate, with artwork swooning in pre-Raphaelite fantasy and Medieval (Victorian) imaginings, the look hit a reproductive high in the shabby chic flash of the 1870s home, jewellery and even fashion.
However, the central characters of this movement remain bold, artistic heroes who took a stand against the encroachment of the machine age on the traditions and skills of centuries of handwork.