- Style/technique: Pictorial print
- Manufacturer: Mintons China Works
- Dimensions: 6" x 6"
- Pattern number: 2024D
- Date: circa 1895
One of a series of twelve British and European
landscapes engraved by L T Swetman for Mintons around
1884. Quite a popular series in its day, certainly
manufactured in to the1890s when generally the popularity
of landscape tiles was declining. This is a view of 'Old
Houses' in Rouen, France but on the right side of the
picture there is what appears to be an antique or junk
shop!
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
(verl close to Stoke upon 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 some
are by Wise and others by Swetman. 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 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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