Tile
Life Story
This is one of a pair of identical ceramic tiles acquired by Sir Colin Anderson between 1962 and 1974. Possibly produced by Marsden Tile Company Limited in England around 1905, the tile lacks a mark of manufacture to confirm this attribution. Glazed white, this earthenware tile has been decorated with a dark green transfer-printed design of stylised flowers. Tints of green and claret have been added by hand as onglazes. This type of moulded tile was mass-produced using industrial methods of manufacturing.
The square tile is patterned with a circular wreath motif that is at its fullest in the upper section. Ten tubular purple blooms fan outwards from arcing green stems to form a tear-shaped enclosure. A central post ornamented by a green leafy cluster draws the eye to the design’s strong vertical line of symmetry. The pattern’s organic curvilinear structure and whiplash stems are characteristic of the nature-inspired Art Nouveau style.
Marsden Tile Company Ltd operated in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent from 1892-1928 and produced a wide range of relief-moulded, tube-lined and transfer printed ceramic tiles in the Art Nouveau style. Marsden manufactured decorative tiles for Wedgwood and Doulton.
Vanessa Tothill, March 2021
Further Reading
Amaya, Mario, Art Nouveau (London: Dutton Vista, 1966)
Geitner, Amanda and Emma Hazell, ed., The Anderson Collection of Art Nouveau (Norwich: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, 2003)
Greenhalgh, Paul, ed., Art Nouveau, 1890-1914 (London: V&A Publications, 2000)
Greenhalgh, Paul, ed., The Nature of Dreams: England and the Formation of Art Nouveau (Norwich: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, 2020)
Not on display
Title/Description: Tile
Born: 1905 c.
Materials: Ceramic, Earthenware
Measurements: h. 152 x w. 152 x d. 10 mm
Accession Number: 21084B
Credit Line: Donated by Sir Colin and Lady Anderson, 1978
