Carpets

by R. S. Brinton

With the later Victorian times is associated the development of the naturalistic style in carpets as in other decorative fabrics; flowers, singly or in bouquets, being depicted in bright colours as near to Nature as the technical limitations permitted. This style may perhaps be regarded as flourishing until gradually checked or sobered by conventionalising influences, and notably that of William Morris, to whom, indeed, it is not too much to attribute a revolution in the decorative point of view. But this revolution was both slow and partial; and the naturalistic style, founded, as it is no doubt, upon a love of Nature innate in man, is too deeply rooted ever to lose its popularity completely.

It is still with us. And why not? Flowers, though not meant to be trodden under foot, are round about our feet; and they make a double appeal to the carpet designer of intrinsic beauty, and of fitness for ground decoration. A green ground carpet with pink roses, as near as may be to life, represents no doubt something of the aspiration of the dweller in town for the country; and who shall say that it is unworthy?

Owen Jones is again worth quoting in this connection, even if his strictures seem excessively severe. He says—

“I will say no more on the floral style, but to express a regret that, the more perfect the manufacturing process in carpets becomes, the more do they (the carpets) appear to lend themselves to evil. The modest Kidderminster carpet rarely goes wrong, because it cannot; it has to deal with but two colours, and consequently much mischief is beyond its reach. The Brussels carpet, which deals with five colours, is more mischievous. The Tapestry carpet, where the colours are still more numerous, are vicious in the extreme; whilst the recent invention of printed carpets, with no bounds to its ambition, has become positively criminal.”

But the supremacy of the naturalistic style long since passed away, and gave place towards the end of last century to the conventional, There was a very definite movement in this direction, arising perhaps in the first instance from the Morris influence, but carried forward notably by The Studio, the Arts and Crafts Exhibition, and by such artists as C. F. A. Voysey, Walter Crane, G. C. Haité, Arthur Silver, and many others.

The conventional style is particularly suitable to carpets, in that it possesses great decorative possibilities, and continually reminds the occupant of a room of beautiful objects in Nature, without deliberately challenging, as in the naturalistic style, comparisons, which can only be disadvantageous. This style reached the summit of its popularity about the first years of the century and has since declined, though it is by no means extinct. Its decline may be regretted, if only for the reason that it is one of the very few styles of design in carpets which can claim to be distinctly British.

It left behind it a successor, however, which enjoyed a few years of public favour. This is the tapestry or verdure style, wherein flowers, fruit, and leaves are treated in a half-conventional manner, generally on a well-covered ground. This really stands half-way between the naturalistic and the conventional styles. It may be the joint offspring of the two, a more exuberant Morris type, or a more chastened floral chintz; while it seems not unlikely that it was introduced from Germany, where it was certainly very popular at one time.

Then we passed into an era of reproductions. Examples of masterpieces of decoration, and especially those of Oriental art, have always, and rightly, been studied by carpet designers, and frequently reproduced by carpet manufacturers in the past; but never to such an extent as during the years preceding the war. The carpet trade of that time was dominated by the cult of the antique Eastern carpet; and a very large proportion of the production of British carpets was upon Persian and Indian styles, while subsequently the Chinese came in for marked attention. From one point of view, this was all to the good; for the birthplace of the carpet was the Orient, and old Eastern carpets are classics, just as the works of Homer, Vergil, Handel, or Velasquez are classics. Competition among manufacturers was keen; and close and beautiful reproductions of the best antique Oriental carpets were offered to the public, distinguished in design, soft in colouring, and lending themselves readily to harmonious schemes of decoration.

But from another aspect this era was less satisfactory. The masterpieces of Persia and Asia Minor, so eagerly sought out, were not studied as models, to be adapted to modern ideas and requirements, as inspirations, or bases for new effects. They were apt to be slavishly copied, line for line and shade for shade, as far as the limitations of the machine-made fabric permitted. A manufacturer would boast: “This is an exact reproduction of the famous carpet of so-and-so, made in the fourteenth century”; not: “This is a beautiful carpet. Persian in feeling.” This sort of thing did not make for progress, nor for originality and initiative in the design, but led to a certain monotony and arrested progress, though the beauty of the productions was incontestable.

The next stage in the development of carpet design was very interesting. A slight, but inevitable reaction set in against the dominance of close reproductions of Persian and other carpets of the Near East. Carpets in the characteristic decorative styles of other countries, and of other ages, were attempted. The Far East furnished the first departure from the Persian domination; and the rich stores of Chinese and Japanese ornament were drawn upon, with very satisfactory results. Then the carpet manufacturer and designer struck out more boldly, and invaded any land or period whose particular style of decoration could be converted to the artistic purposes of the industry. Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Rococo, Italian Renaissance, Empire, Adam, Georgian, Queen Anne, and other periods were laid under contribution; and it was no less a clear demand on the part of the dealer and the public (to whose share due credit must be given) than a point of honour with the manufacturer, that every design should be pure and true to its particular style. This involved knowledge and study, and tended to restore the designer and colourist to his proper position as a creative artist from that of a mere copyist, to which he had been in some danger of sinking.