De Morgan Stylized Dragons Lacquer Tray*The Met Store Clearance

This striking lacquer tray adapts the imagery on a brilliantly embellished plate (ca. 1890–1907) by William De Morgan (British, 1839–1917) for Sands End Pottery (British). Having kicked off his career painting stained glass for the great William Morris (British, 1834–1896), De Morgan developed a keen eye for color; he produced glazes with richer, softer hues than his contemporaries, and became known for his “Persian-style” pottery bearing Iznik influences. The designer was particularly fond of dragons, which he used to anchor the harmonizing motifs on this ceramic creation in The Met collection.

Click here to learn more about William De Morgan.