Minton Moyr Smith Trades / Industry Tile
Condition: Very fine Price: £105 (approx $166) Ref: #04138 UK Special Delivery £113 EU Priority £117 US and World Priority £121 Currency Converter Four minute rim chips.
Style/technique: Pictorial block print Manufacturer: Mintons Ltd Dimensions: 6" x 6" Date: circa 1878	The Dyer, an excellent tile from this series designed by John Moyr Smith for Mintons China Works. I love the colourway, buff clay I so much prefer for Moyr Smith's classical style, chocolate brown is so warm and friendly and also produces a clear and crisp print. The series variously called 'Industry' and 'Trades' both words having changed their meanings in the intervening century and a third. Industry used to mean more as we understand endeavour, work done by persons, now it means big business, strangely the adjective industrious retains its original, personal connection. Trade similarly now means more to barter, to earn one's living by transactions, trade used to mean possessing a skill, usually practical, by which one could earn a living. John Moyr Smith was perhaps the most popular artist of the Victorian era, certainly on tile. More of his work is seen on tiles than any other (known) artist but tiles were but one string to his bow, his work was seen in books and on greetings cards amongst other media but in his day he was widely known for illustrations and cartoons in 'Punch', the long lived satirical magazine. He was also an accomplished architect and designer in other fields. Verso perfectly clean, removed from furniture, marked the Campbell Brick & Tile Co. Campbell was the owner of Mintons Ltd too and Mintons coloured clay tiles all seem to have been made at Campbell Tile Co as it is not unusual to find Mintons Ltd patterns on Campbell blanks.
The image is full size at 72 dpi (about 430 pixels wide) in maximum quality JPEG format and on screen is about the size as it would be in real life at the same distance. A larger 120 dpi image also in maximum quality JPEG format can be forwarded by email if required. The image is a little oversize rather than cropped close to the edges so that the edges can easily be seen and any chips etc can be quickly spotted. Other marks described are usually not visible at all when the tile is viewed straight as one normally sees it and can only be seen with a critical eye when the tile is tilted to catch imperfections in reflected light. For more details of how we describe marks see Condition.

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