Textile Design with Alternating Rows of Rosettes with Triangular Petals over a Labyrinth-Like Pattern 1840

This textile design with alternating rows of rosettes and a labyrinth-like pattern was created by an anonymous artist. Designs like this circulated in pattern books which were used by artisans and craftspeople who produced textiles. The labyrinth pattern may have its origins in ancient Greece, but it has been appropriated in many times and places as a decorative motif. The rosettes might relate to the medieval symbolic use of flowers, but here they are simplified and abstracted into a pleasing geometric pattern. Without a date, it is difficult to say what this design might mean. If we could understand the artist’s location and social position, we might be able to relate this pattern to the economic conditions of textile production or the politics of the Arts and Crafts movement. Textiles often offer an important insight into the social context of the time. To understand this image better, we would need to consult archives of textile design. The meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.