Designed by William Morris, this high-warp tapestry, depicts a fruit tree with a bird and woodpecker in its branches, the trunk wound round with scrolling acanthus leaves and side borders of honeysuckle growing around tree trunks and a line of text at top and bottom written in Gothic script on scrolls: “i once a king and chief, now am the tree barks thief,/ever twixt trunk and leaf chasing the prey”. The text refers to the classical legend of Picus, one of the ancient kings of Italy, who refused to be seduced by Circe and she in revenge turned him into a woodpecker.
By the mid-1880s tapestry designs at Morris & Co. were largely a collaborative effort with groups of artists working together on the design. However, this tapestry is unusual in that is was designed entirely by William Morris and woven at Merton Abbey under his strict supervision. It was woven at Merton Abbey, Morris & Co.’s factory in 1885 by WH Knight and William Sleath. It was bought by Sir Bryan Peters and hung for a number of years in the billiard room at 24 Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, the home of George Prothero, President of the Royal Historical Society. The inscription was embroidered by May Morris and assistants.
A trial weaving of a similar honeysuckle border is in the V&A.
