BUYERS GUIDE WI L L IAM DE MORGAN
THE BUY E R S GUIDE DECORAT IVE WARE S OF WI L L IAM DE MORGAN
Born in 1839 in Chester, the son of a mathematician and his highly educated wife, De Morgan was always supported in his desire to become an artist. At the age of twenty he entered the Royal Academy however became swiftly disillusioned with the establishment and sought to follow a more bohemian path of creative discovery.
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Will Farmer is our antiques & collectors expert, he is well known for his resident work on the Antiques Roadshow, he has also written for the popular ‘Miller’s Antique Guide’. Those in the know will have also come across him at ‘Fieldings Auctioneers’. We are delighted that Will writes for Live 24-Seven, he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
William De Morgan became a close friend of William Morris which placed him at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement in the 1860s. Having initially designed stained glass for Morris & Co he moved onto ceramics becoming wholly consumed with the manufacture of breathtaking pieces which would epitomise the style and ethics of the Arts and Crafts period. Although William Morris designed and produced tiles, this was not his forte, and by 1872 William De Morgan set up his own works in Chelsea and became the principal supplier of ceramic tiles and decorative wares to William Morris and his West End shops.
The Arts and Crafts ideology he was exposed to through his friendship with Morris and his own insistent curiosity led De Morgan to explore every technical aspect of his craft. He initially established a kiln and production works at his Chelsea home, not the most ideal location as proven when a fire broke out! His early efforts at
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