Owen Jones

Owen Jones 1809-1874
Born in London, Jones was apprenticed as an architect. Between 1832 and 1836 he travelled extensively through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Spain, taking a particular interest in the Alhambra in Granada.

Returning to London he began to practise his profession, becoming a specialist in interior decoration. He was responsible for the general decoration of The Crystal Place for The Great Exhibition of 1851.

The Grammar of Ornament, first published in 1856, served as an introduction for designers to the decorative arts of other cultures. It also utilised the newly developed process of chromolithography, of which Jones was one of the pioneers. Below is a selection from the plates we have available.

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