Edward Burne-Jones/William Morris: The Adoration of the Magi, 1888
tapestry, wool and silk on cotton warp
The Adoration of the Magi is a Morris & Co. tapestry depicting the story in Christianity of the Three Kings who were guided to the birthplace of Jesus by the star of Bethlehem. It is sometimes called The Star of Bethlehem, or simply The Adoration. The tapestry proved the most popular of all Morris & Co. tapestries for both church and domestic settings. Ten versions were woven, each with a different border design
The original tapestry was commissioned in 1886 by the rector of Exeter College, Oxford, for the Gothic revival chapel built for the college in the 1850s by George Gilbert Scott. Former students William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones were approached, and they suggested the subject matter for the tapestry.
The overall composition and the figures were designed by Edward Burne-Jones, and William Morris along with his assistant John Henry Dearle chose a vibrant colour scheme and added background and foreground details including the flowering plants characteristic of Dearle's tapestry work. All in all, the tapestry took four years to realise, including two years' work by three weavers at Morris's Merton Abbey Mills. The tapestry was completed in February 1890 and displayed in Morris & Co.'s Oxford Street showroom in London that Easter before being presented to Exeter College.