King David, c.1875
William de Morgan was celebrated as a designer, a potter and a novelist. Associated with the pre-Raphaelite movement, he began work with Morris & Co., designing tiles and stained glass and recovering the lost art of lustre decoration. In 1869 he established his own studio and workshop in Chelsea.
De Morgan was associated with the Century Guild in the 1880s, a body intent on raising the quality and standard of design in all crafts and in maintaining professionalism and a sense of brotherhood. He remained a lifelong friend and collaborator of William Morris.
In later years, de Morgan wrote several novels and lived mainly in Italy.