Aesthetic Print & Tint Tiles
Condition: Very fine Price: £80 (approx $125) Ref: #02445 UK Special Delivery £88 EU Priority £92 US and World Priority £96 Currency Converter Mark left edge is a glazed over manufacturing flaw, a few minute chips, no marks to the glaze whatsoever but there are a few marks to the overglaze print. Very clean and very bright.
• Style/technique: Aesthetic/art nouveau print • Manufacturer: Mintons Ltd • Dimensions: 6" x 6" • Date: design registered 1896	An absolutely fascinating design and in a most unusual colour too. Full of movement the curvaceous lines have a whimsical sexiness to them, the increasing size and development of the flowers as they rise captures natural appeal. One of the most modern designs that Mintons China Works ever did being registered in the last few months of 1896. Despite that it is still a rarely found design. The flow of the leaves has some of the 'whiplash' feel characteristic of art nouveau yet has elements of random aesthetic style of patterns from the mid 1870s, like pattern numbers 1536, 1537 and 1538 from Mintons China Works. The probably honeysuckle flowers are also not so disimilar to wavy line honeysuckle ornaments found on ancient greek vases. An interesting mix of influences combining to give an innovative and modern design. The colour is also most unusual a rather deep orange rather than red. All shades of red have always been difficult to reproduce in ceramics in particular achieving a red stable enough to withstand the higher temperatures of underglaze firing. This is overglaze printed indicating that even in 1896 it was necessary to decorate overglaze to achieve this particular shade. Mintons were leaders in printing technology it is very rare to find overglaze printing by them, so it appears that the process was selected in order to achieve the colour other unusual colours appear on the few varieties of these designs of the period. Early for art nouveau design and a good one for debating the merits of its style for my research and objéts indicate 1898 as the presumptive earliest date for industrially made art nouveau, This perhaps best described as a forward looking floral design anticipating or a precursor to art nouveau, certainly very stylised and coincides with Léon Solon's arrival at Mintons when there was a rebirth in their tile making and to my mind they produced their greatest tiles. Léon Solon joined Mintons in 1895 as a designer and virtually coincided with their making tiles in the modern majolica technique indeed from thenceforth majolica was the predominent technique for new designs. Majolica of course is limited in the fine detail that can be achieved, printing enabled a much finer line and more of a unity of colour. Solon was hired by Mintons after his work was published in the hugely influential design magazine The Studio, he worked for the company until 1905 including briefly as Art Director. Solon was strongly influenced by the Viennese Secessionist art movement, founded by Gustav Klimt and others, and Mintons produced a range of "Secessionist Ware" much of which was designed by Solon. Versos slightly indistinct makers name etc due to a well worn back plate and printed pattern and design registration numbers (indistinct on some tiles).
Condition: Near perfect Price: £80 (approx $125) Ref: #02445B UK Special Delivery £88 EU Priority £92 US and World Priority £96 Currency Converter A little roughness on the top edge, very few very light surface marks, a little wear to the print mostly near the top right corner. Very clean and very bright.
Condition: Near perfect Price: £80 (approx $125) Ref: #02445E UK Special Delivery £88 EU Priority £92 US and World Priority £96 Currency Converter Very few minute marks, some minor marks to the print mostly due to manufacturing uncertainties rather than wear. Very clean and very bright.
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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