Three ‘BBB’ tiles
Pottery: William De Morgan & Co.
Tin-glazed earthenware tiles; slip-coated and decorated underglaze.
Two tiles of white earthenware and one of buff earthenware, slip coated and painted underglaze with near-identical versions of De Morgan’s ‘BBB’ design: a blue and mulberry palmette/carnation and green leaves on a cream ground.
History note: Lent by Rita Smythe
Bequeathed by Ian and Rita Smythe, 2023
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (2023) by Smythe, Ian and Rita
19th Century, Late#
Victoria I
Circa
1872
CE
-
1888
CE
William Frend De Morgan (1839-1917), now widely regarded as the most important ceramicist of the Arts & Crafts movement, also worked in stained glass, became a successful novelist and, in 1887, married the Pre-Raphaelite painter Evelyn Pickering (1855-1919). He experimented widely with techniques and glazes, re-discovering methods for making and applying lustres and the colours of Persian and Iznik pottery and using them for a range of complex fantasy designs featuring ships, birds, flora and animals. De Morgan was based at Chelsea from 1872 and Merton Abbey (next door to Morris’s factory) from 1882-8.
‘BBB’was designed for the Norwich fireplace manufacturer Barnard, Bishop and Barnard and advertised alongside cast iron fire surrounds in their catalogue. Two of these tiles were made at Chelsea and the other at Merton Abbey. The design, one of the most popular tile patterns, continued in production until the company closed in 1907.
Decoration
composed of
pigments
Sides
Square 15.5 cm
Moulding : Hand-moulded tiles, slip-coated, painted underglaze
Inscription present: in round cornered rectangle, with scalloped impression around
Inscription present: in scalloped edge rectangle
Inscription present: over image of abbey, in rectangle
Accession number: C.52-2023
Primary reference Number: 238715
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Three ‘BBB’ tiles" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/238715 Accessed: 2024-11-21 20:25:37
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|title=Three ‘BBB’ tiles
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