Raven, Rook & Crow Motifs

Large 6 x 8 Raven tile in Midnight designed by Yoshiko Yamamoto, from Motawi Tileworks.

Given their continued association with witchcraft and the darkness of Poe, it’s surprising to see the black birds depicted as decorative motifs. (For the record: Crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, and magpies are of the Corvid family; blackbirds are thrushes.)

Crow in Pines quarter-sawn oak-framed art tile from Mission Guild Studio. Courtesy Mission Guild Studio

Then again, the raven (a larger relative of the crow) symbolizes gratitude and affection, wisdom, longevity, and fertility. The crow is a symbol of Christian solitude. Maybe most compelling, these birds in alchemy represent change. Intelligent and mysterious, they are blessed with keen sight.

The Messenger gothic-feeling vase from Ephraim Pottery. Courtesy Ephraim Pottery

Ravens and rooks show up often as a decorative motif in works of the Arts & Crafts movement and its revival.

Block-printed note cards perfect for fall, by The Arts & Crafts Press. Courtesy Arts & Crafts Press

‘Crow’ tile in Ginger Brown glaze from Carreaux du Nord. Courtesy Carreaux Du Nord

See them silhouetted or socializing in block prints, sculpted into tile and pottery, repeated in wallpaper designs, and depicted in the era’s metalwork and art glass.

‘Raven’ filigree for the Poplar Glen hanging lantern by Old California Fine Lighting & Home Goods. Courtesy Old California Fine Lighting & Home Goods

Trustworth Studios’ “Four and Twenty” scalable paper in teal, black, and gold, after a Voysey design. Courtesy Trustworth Studios

Hand-painted revival-style raven tile by Rookwood Pottery. Courtesy Rookwood Pottery

Patricia PooreAuthor

Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.

Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.

Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.