English Tiles. One of the most famous English tile makers was Minton, but many older ones can be found unmarked. There are a wide range of subject matters including characters from Fairy Tales as well as armorial subjects.
Below are some examples of English tiles including some Minton tiles depicting Kate Greenaway characters and an English Delft apothecary tile.
GREENAWAY – T & R BOOTE AND MINTON TILES
Twenty-six tiles in various sets, earthenware, dust-pressed body with transfer-printed illustrations depicting children at play and the four seasons, after designs by Kate Greenaway, bordered with Aesthetic Movement Japonesque motifs, reverse of 18 tiles with printed diamond registration marks, 4 polychrome tiles with moulded marks for ‘Minton’s China Works Stoke on Trent’, 155 x 155mm., 1881 and 1883 (26)
Sold for £382.50 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2022
AN ENGLISH DELFT DATED ROYAL ARMORIAL POLYCHROME HEART-SHAPED APOTHECARY’S TILE
DATED 1664
Painted in ochre and blue with the royal arms below the initials CR for Charles Rex and 1664 and above the motto BEATI PASSIFISI in a cartouche, at the bottom the initials NB joined by a strapwork flourish, pierced twice at the top for hanging
9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high
Sold for USD 56,250 at Christie’s in 2020
Medieval English Heraldic Tile with Crowned Lion’s Heads
15th century A.D. A glazed ceramic floor tile decorated with three crowned lion heads with protruding tongues and large eyes, framed by the bottom half of a shield-shaped background. 983 grams, 13.3 x 13.3 cm (5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.”)
Sold for £120 at TimeLine Auctions Ltd in 2022
