Style:
Romantic
Technique: Painted
Maker:
Mintons
Dimensions:
6" x 12"
Date: 1880
(circa)
A rare Mintons romantic tile panel hand
painted in the manner of William Wise. Whilst
most painted Mintons' tiles of the period were
painted by amateurs*, some well done and others
less so, I believe these were painted in
Mintons' own studio for the quality and style of
the painting is so similiar to other wares from
the studio. Quite possibly painted by William
Wise for only the most esteemed painters such as
Antonin Boullemeir were permitted to sign their
works and even then not always on the face.
Joan Jones (Mintons, The First Two Hundred
Years of Design and Production) states: William
Wise was a talented figure painter and engraver.
He was chosen to assist in the execution of the
decorative panels for the Grill Room at The
South Kensington Museum. His exquisite portraits
representing 'Seasons' - one of which, depicting
'Autumn', is displayed in the Minton Museum -
show his ability to produce timeless portraits
of instant appeal and his mastery of a vibrant
colour palette.
*Painting tiles was quite a fashionable
pastime, kits were available from major
retailers and by mail order, tiles once painted
were returned for firing before final dispatch
to the customer. The most popular subjects were
copies of Walter Crane's book illustrations
especially from The Baby's Opera, Walter Crane
did not design any tiles for Mintons, he did for
Maw and Pilkington. Originally from a fireplace
but not suffered too much in the passing of
time, best framed anyway and so the minor marks
to the rim disappear.
Versos embossed Mintons etc, clean but some
smoke stain.