Ornament Designs on Two Panels, the Central Cartouches Decorated with Tents 1875 - 1885

Richardson Ellson & Co. produced these ornament designs on two panels. The central cartouches are decorated with tents, meticulously drawn in pencil on paper. Designs such as these would have been important in shaping the aesthetic landscape of their time, influencing architecture, furniture, and other decorative arts. We must understand the cultural values attached to ornament. This particular design, with its somewhat exotic 'tent' motif, suggests a potential fascination with the Ottoman Empire, or Islamic art more generally, in Britain. To fully understand this work, we might delve into trade relations of the time, the history of design institutions and the role of design in shaping national identity. The history of ornament reminds us that even seemingly minor aesthetic choices reflect and reinforce deeper cultural narratives.