- Style/technique: Art nouveau tube line
- Manufacturer: Marsden Tile Co
- Dimensions: 6" x 6"
- Date: circa 1906
- Colours: 4
A totally amazing tile. Brick pattern tube lined are
pretty rare to start with, this is a very complex example
of the genre. Brick pattern puts an extra burden on the
decorator as there is an immediate comparison between the
examples of their work, the three similar designs have to
be reasonably accurate otherwise the tile looks poor.
Additionally this is much more complex than the majority
of brick pattern tube line which usually feature simple
flowerheads with perhaps less work in three than in one
of this design. The colours may appear fairly ordinary
but Marsden somehow extracted an amazing vivacity out of
colours that look ordinary on other companies' tiles,
this may even be preferable than if it were in reds and
blues.
Furthermore in mint condition, that is not eBay
dictionary mint, there is no damage, wear, marks of any
description, the tile was perfect on the day that it was
made and still is.
Only one of these, unrepeatable. Fortunately there
were two in the hallstand otherwise we would not be able
to offer this for sale!
Verso very clean but a little dust staining where it
got in around the edge, unmarked but characteristic
Marsden pattern.
Marsden's name is mostly associated with Patent
Impressed from Wedgwood which really denegrates him, his
own stencilled tiles were far superior, made with
excellence as the driving force not price. Very few of
his tiles are clearly branded, it is only when you have
seen a few and worked it out that it is clear how
excellent his wares were.
