Embroidered hanging

• Reference:GB 1694 NMC/0437
• Dates of Creation:1893
• Name of Creator:
  Crane, Walter
  Crane, Mary Frances
• Physical Description:
  1 / 1

• Scope and Content

  Banner design drawn on linen with pencil before stitching. It is attached to a calico lining which is stitched to the top of the hanging. It was designed by Walter Crane and worked by his wife Mary Frances Crane. The motto on banner reads: "Qui corvus pascit pascere potest grues" (He who feeds the raven will be able to feed the crane). The design of the panel is possibly that of Thomas Crane, Walter Crane's father.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Born Liverpool, 15 Aug 1845; died Horsham, Sussex, 14 Mar 1915. British illustrator, designer, painter, writer, and administrator.
  His career was very varied, but he is best remembered today as an illustrator of children's books, a field in which he was prolific throughout his life. He took this work very seriously, believing that ‘We all remember the little cuts that coloured the books of our childhood. The ineffaceable quality of these early pictorial and literary impressions affords the strongest plea for good art in the nursery and the schoolroom.’
  His work for adults included designing wallpaper, and he was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement that tried to rehabilitate good design and craftsmanship. He was greatly interested in art education, serving on various examination boards; in the 1890s he taught in Manchester and Reading, and in 1898–9 he was principal of the Royal College of Art. He was also Assessor for Diplomas, scholarships and bursaries (Design) at GSA in the 1911/1912 and 1912/1913 sessions.

• Acquisition Information

  Studio sale after Crane's death, 1922-23. Gift of James Whitelaw Hamilton (GSA Annual report 1922-23, p.9).

• Note

  Born Liverpool, 15 Aug 1845; died Horsham, Sussex, 14 Mar 1915. British illustrator, designer, painter, writer, and administrator.
  His career was very varied, but he is best remembered today as an illustrator of children's books, a field in which he was prolific throughout his life. He took this work very seriously, believing that ‘We all remember the little cuts that coloured the books of our childhood. The ineffaceable quality of these early pictorial and literary impressions affords the strongest plea for good art in the nursery and the schoolroom.’
  His work for adults included designing wallpaper, and he was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement that tried to rehabilitate good design and craftsmanship. He was greatly interested in art education, serving on various examination boards; in the 1890s he taught in Manchester and Reading, and in 1898–9 he was principal of the Royal College of Art. He was also Assessor for Diplomas, scholarships and bursaries (Design) at GSA in the 1911/1912 and 1912/1913 sessions.

• Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

  Pencil on green linen ground with silk, wool, cotton and gold thread embroidery in long and short, satin running stitches and couching. The colours of thread used include brown, red, green, tan, cream, blue and peach. The scene depicts a woman holding a striped lance with a flag and a long scroll on the top, which is inscribed with a motto. She is patting the head of a fallow deer which has a heraldic crown around its neck. They stand before a tree with a large red and gold shield with a family crest.
  Dimensions: 1660 x 870 mm / 1640 x 860 mm

• Additional Information

  Published

• Subjects

  Embroidery (visual works)

  Textiles