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Decorative arts

Cinderella Panel

Type
Decorative arts(Opens in new tab)
Date
1862-1865
Accession number
2000.5.1872
Maker
Morris and Company(Opens in new tab) (British, 1861–1940)
Illustrator
Lucy Faulkner(Opens in new tab) (British, 1839–1910)
Designer
Edward Burne-Jones(Opens in new tab) (British, 1833–1898)
Dimensions
28 1/2 x 55 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (71.8 x 141.6 x 6 cm.)
Medium
overglaze polychrome decoration on tin-glazed earthenware Dutch blanks; ebonized oak frame
Description
This tile panel includes twelve tiles illustrating six scenes from the fairytale of Cinderella. Each panel has a daisy border, with an echo of this on the black frame in the form of a row of daisies along the top. The six scenes are in two rows of three with the top row illustrating the sisters preparing for the ball; Cinderella weeping in the kitchen at left, with the Fairy Godmother entering through a door at the right; Cinderella meeting the Prince at the ball. The bottom row shows the Prince running after Cinderella, as she leaves her shoe behind; a herald proclaiming the Prince's search for the owner of the slipper; and Cinderella's foot fitting the shoe.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Department
European Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
Decorative tiles were one of the earliest media that William Morris and his business partners mastered. The tiles were painted by Morris, Faulkner, and Faulkner's sisters in addition to workmen employed by the firm. With their simple backgrounds and medieval costume, they show Morris's interest in the art of the Middle Ages, which he felt to be purer than that of his own time. Originally designed to ornament a fireplace, the Cinderella tiles were also framed to display as a picture. The frame surrounding this set of tiles is decorated with daisies to match the borders around each scene.

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