Acanthus Leaves

Acanthus leaves are almost a trademark of William Morris designs and here he devotes the entire area to this most adaptable plant.

The complexity of his dense, layered, subtly shaded wallpaper required 30 printing blocks and 15 colours, causing each roll to cost 16 shillings (80p sterling) - rather expensive in 1875 ! The original watercolour design is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.