The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Designer William Morris (British, 1834-1896)

Artist Edward Burne-Jones (British, 1833-1898)

Publisher Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith (London), 1896

Author Geoffrey Chaucer (British, died 1400)

Printer William Morris, Hammersmith

Date1896

Dimensionspage: 16 5/8 x 11 3/8 in. (42.2 x 28.9 cm)

Mediumwood-engravings

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1960.26

Not on View

DescriptionBook with 87 wood-engraved illustrations, plus ornamental borders and initial letters, 554 pages.

Label TextArtist, designer, and poet William Morris was the founder of the English Arts & Crafts movement. With the movement’s advocacy for craft and its belief in the power of design to elevate society, it was an important precursor to and influence on the ideals of the Bauhaus school. The book was published by the Kelmscott Press, which Morris had founded in 1891 to revive the traditional craft of printing, looking to the Middle Ages for inspiration. The wood-engraved illustrations were designed by Pre-Raphaelite painter and Morris collaborator Edward Burne-Jones. Morris modeled the book’s hand-cut typefaces on medieval fonts, made the paper in the manner of the 15th century, and printed the edition by hand to create a beautifully made and harmonious work.Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 281, repr. (col.).Exhibition History

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.

Toledo Museum of Art, The Bauhaus Experiment: Art & Design from the Toledo Museum of Art, August 25, 2020-February 7, 2021.