- Style/technique: Pictorial print
- Manufacturer: Mintons China Works
- Dimensions: 6" x 6"
- Pattern number: 2024
- Date: circa 1890
One of a series of twelve British and European
landscapes engraved by L T Swetman for Mintons and
introduced around 1884. Quite a popular series in it's
day, certainly manufactured in to the1890s when pictures
in general had passed their peak of popularity. This is a
view of Conway Castle (Conwy) in Wales with a boat under
construction (or wrecked or under repair) and a cottage
in the foreground, the monogram LTS can be found in the
bottom left corner.
Verso fully marked Mintons etc and glazed so was
intended for use in a jardinerie etc.
All tiles in the series feature buildings in
landscapes but otherwise they are quite a unique mix,
each scene is allocated a suffix letter which is,
unfortunately all too rarely, shown on the back of some
tiles. There are scenes from England (3), Scotland (2)
and Wales (2), France (2), and one each from Germany,
Switzerland and Belgium. All the views have historical
significance making them one of the most interesting
series to collect and a great talking point. When the
scenes are named they have a distinctive style of
lettering compared to other Mintons China Works pictorial
series.
Continued......
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Examples of this series are found signed with
monogram or initials and unsigned, also some are named
and other times unnamed. It appears the earlier examples
are signed and later examples are named. They are also
found on pot stands the tiles having feet attached at the
corners, later pot stand examples had the corners and
edges fettled down to make them less prone to chipping
when in use. Most are in brown, sepia and 'deep brown',
some are found in Indian Blue. A few are found in brown
nicely coloured in, there are also eight inch versions
(pattern number 2029) with the scenes as per the six inch
tiles surrounded by a bead border.
Both Lockett and Austwick note the confusion about
this series suggesting some were done by L T Swetman and
others by William Wise. Our research has identified all
twelve of the scenes in this series which are by Swetman
however there are several quite similar landscape and
architectural series hence the confusion. These Swetman
scenes could each be fitted in to different series and
Mintons themselves recycled patterns and renamed some
views, certainly Cow Gate Foot from this series also
appears with the different style of lettering associated
with the scenes on trivets apparently made for the
tourist market. There are series of historic buildings,
cathedrals, ruined abbeys and of countryside views of
rivers often including man made structures like bridges.
The historic buildings and cathedrals may not be a
defined series as such rather made as giftware for
tourist locations, Edinburgh, Derbyshire Peak District
(very close to Stoke on Trent) and Stratford upon Avon
feature, somewhat surprisingly there are none, or perhaps
just one, scene noted of a London location.
The other aforementioned countryside views series
appears to focus on waterside man-made structures
including bridges across rivers, mills, riverside
cottages and castles with moats. These other series are
to my knowledge still not completely and fully identified
either in scope or by artist although it is assumed that
they are engraved by Swetman and copied from a source
such as a book. It may be that Wise was preferred for
figurative work and Swetman for architectural subjects
and/or that Swetman continued when Wise passed away in
1889 after a period of illness. It should be noted that
in many cases neither were artists in the sense of
creating the original works, they were engravers
interpreting other source works for use as ceramic
decoration.
The full list of the scenes is:
- Boppart on the Rhine
- Cardinal Beaton's House, Edinburgh
- Conway Castle
- Westgate, Warwick
- Old Houses, Rouen
- Village of Splugen, The Alps
- Rodez Cathedral
- Dittisham on the Dart
- The Old Gateway Winchelsea
- Criccieth Castle
- Ruins of Hougomont, Belgium
- Cow Gate Foot, Edinburgh
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