•
Style: Floral
• Technique: Impasto
• Designers: William Henry
Micklethwait
• Maker: Sherwin & Cotton
•
Dimensions: 6" x
6"
• Date: 1886
(registered)
A great pair of barbotine tiles with
nature studies of blossom and fruit. Lovely
natural colours very relaxing but still a
pleasure to behold, exceedingly brilliant
glazes that create a glow in the dark effect
as they catch the light. These tiles were
made for the ironfounders William Henry
Micklethwait, and when fitted in to iron
fireplaces with the coals glowing would
really look amazing
Entirely handmade, true arts & crafts,
the buff clay pressed in to a mould with
grains of brown and green clay to produce a
speckled effect. Then decorated by painting
with slips rather than stain giving a three
dimensional effect and finished with a
brilliant glaze. Very strong and durable
tiles made from dense buff clay and thicker
than usual at half an inch.
More arts & crafts than tiles by the
arts & crafts mass producers William de
Morgan & Co. and Morris & Co, closer
to wares by potters Martin Bros. and
Burmantofts. Most of William de Morgan's
tiles were painted to traced outlines
(painting by numbers), this was copied from
the pattern book by hand.
Only three barbotine tiles with
registration numbers are known, the designs
registered to Wm Henry Micklethwait
ironfounders from Rotheram the tiles made for
them by Sherwin and Cotton. Hand decorated
tiles never have embossed or impressed
pattern or registration numbers except with
this rare exception where the clay is plastic
clay and the clay pressed soon before the
tile was decorated. The decorating would be
effected when the clay was still quite moist
as it would help the slips to adhere.
The design registration numbers suggest
that barbotine tiles like this were produced
before similar modern majolica tiles (dust
pressed relief and multicolour lead glazes).
These have pattern numbers B225 and B227
suggesting a couple of hundred barbotine
designs had already been made by 1886 which
would certainly be over the course of a
number of years. The earliest multicolour
modern majolica I have seen with registration
number is 1887, a handful of earlier
registrations are noted although it is not
known if these were made polychrome.
It should be noted that there are three
types of barbotine decorated tiles by Sherwin
& Cotton with mostly similar nature study
floral designs. Whilst not being mentioned in
the literature or indeed by anyone I have
been in contact with indeed no expert appears
to have even noted the difference despite the
pattern numbers giving a very strong clue by
having different prefixes. Later types of
barbotine tile were decorated in slips but
upon embossed clay the pattern and relief
already determined by the mould. There are
apparently few which are impasto - freehand
decorated on a flat surface the relief built
upon in slip the process requiring great
skill to produce the best effect.
Versos very clean, Staffordshire knot
badge, rare impressed registration numbers,
incised pattern numbers. Tiles for the
scholar of dates, designs and techniques, not
really to be stuck on to a wall, I suspect
that few museums have seen or even heard of
these.
Condition: Very fine
Price: £275 (approx $375)
Ref: 03077/8
