Morris, William: An address delivered by William Morris at the distribution of prizes to students of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art on Feb. 21, 1894 (London, 1898)

Birming.* models in the first draught, though you should
ham School make studies from nature afterwards* This, no
of Art, 1894* doubt, is very familiar advice to you, so I will try
to finish with something which is not quite so
dead a platitude, and ask you to consider it* I have
always noticed, in good mediaeval designs, apecu*-
liar kind of interest and ornamental quality, which
is quite lacking in most of those of the Renais/
sance and of modern times* And this seems to me
to be caused by the planes of the figures being very
near each other in the mediaeval designs, and their
being separated from each other by long perspeo*
tives in the later periods, which latter method pro^
duces an emptiness and lack of interest which de^
stroy all ornamental effect* When you go up to
London, get over, if you can, to Hampton Court,
and you will find a good example of what I mean
there* The great hall, & the solar or drawing room
are both hung with fine tapestries: those in the
hall are of the Renaissance period, and fully illus^
trate this fault of emptiness; those in the solar are
of the Gothic period, & each piece is quite stuffed
with beautifully/draped figures* The hall tapes.*
tries look dull and vulgar, the solar tapestries full
of interest and incident, and are the best possible
ornament for the walls* The contrast is well worth
noting,as both sets are fine of their kind*
Well, if I were to go on saying all I really have to
say, there would be no end to it* So I will end with
saying that I, an old man now, have been much
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