- Style/technique: Art nouveau
majolica
- Manufacturer: Carter of Poole
- Dimensions: 3" x 6"
- Date: circa 1905
An outstanding art nouveau design of tulips
in a very erect and stylised form reminiscent of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (this came from
Glasgow too). Moulded in very high relief and
with the impressed pattern verso, sign of a
quality tile, made to ensure constant thickness
of clay and improve durability. Few companies
made such high relief tiles they were a
technical challenge but the effect is superb
especially with brilliant glazing as this.
But perhaps the outstanding feature of this
tile is the skill of the modeller for it is both
precise and having great flow of the line. The
symmetry is almost perfect - truly a demanding
skill, the mould was fashioned by a truly
skilled and artistic individual. The skill of
the kilnmaster should not be overlooked for the
near perfect glazing really gives the relief its
definition. The glaze is consistent with the
relief all over, no pooling where there should
not be, brighter where it should be on the high
relief and richer where it is indented.
This tile (and also see similar 03047
from the same original installation) is ideally
suited for interspersing between brighter
coloured 6" x 6" tiles in a horizontal display
the plain darker colouring emphasising the
brighter tiles without being tedious and indeed
with their own interest. We have about a half
dozen of each from good to very fine
condition.
Verso, indented pattern as face, unmarked
save for a number which is not a pattern number
but appears on known Carter tiles*, this design
appears in Carter's catalogue identified as No.
1090.
A couple of tiny, a couple of very tiny and a
couple of minute surface chips, excellent glaze
brilliance.
* Blanchett illustrates a somewhat similar
embossed art nouveau design from Carter on page
86 with the same number embossed 1673. What the
significance of these numbers is remains a
mystery as different numbers have been noted on
the same designs and the same numbers on
different designs each on multiple
occasions.
