An alluring and atmospheric enquiry into the creative impulse -- as seen through the work and lives of Mariano Fortuny and William Morris -- by one of our greatest novelists.  
 
This ravishing little book, glowing with colour and generously illustrated throughout, opens a window on to the lives, passions and designs of two great artists a generation apart, William Morris and Mariano Fortuny. Inspired by a vision of the aquamarine light of Venice balancing Morris's green English countryside, A.S. Byatt delves into the world-transforming magic of their art, asking what fired them, how they lived and worked and how each man's art mirrors and confronts the other.
 
A.S. Byatt combines her brilliant gift for character and place with a deep understanding of the craft, and the combination of profound ideas and sensual delight that make the art of Morris's and Fortuny endure -- a ghostly presence outside time. "Peacock and Vine" is a work of art in itself -- the perfect present to give, to keep, to ponder over and to treasure.