Rose and Foliage tiles, 1888–1897

Key words

tile; floral

Questions to ask

This is just one out of four tiles from the same set. What do you think the other tiles look like? Do you think that the tiles might look different when laid out together?

Why do you think that the artist chose to use such bright, un-naturalistic colours?

Do you think that this flower motif has a symbolic meaning, or is it purely decorative?

How this might inspire your work

Make a wooden printing block and create a set of prints based on De Morgan’s flower, plant or bird designs.

On a piece of paper draw out a simple, bold pattern featuring a De Morgan-inspired motif. Trace it onto a piece of tracing paper, and transfer the image onto Funky Foam by placing the drawing face down onto the Funky Foam and re-drawing over the lines. This will give your image (in reverse) on the Funky Foam. Using scissors, cut out the individual pieces of your pattern. Use PowerPritt to stick the pattern to the wooden printing block.

Choose two contrasting colours of printing ink, and apply the ink to your Funky Foam design. Print onto a piece of paper or material (if you choose to print onto material you will need to use fabric paint). 

Tile: ‘Rose and Foliage’ is one of a set of four tiles. If you make your design symmetrical, you could print the design four times next to each other to make a large square, so the designs reflect each other either side of their horizontal and vertical lines.