About this piece
back to topA hand decorated antique English heraldic tile depicting the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Armagh, dating from 1881. This porcelain tile is one of 14 similar we are selling, removed from the now demolished library of the Victorian Brompton Consumption Hospital, London. It is dated and signed J. D. Rochfort to the reverse.
Established as far back as the 1st century, the Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. When this tile was made in 1881, the position was held by Daniel McGettigan. He held office from 1870 – 1887 during which Queen Victoria ruled Great Britain and Ireland.
Brompton Consumption Hospital was founded in 1841 and built throughout the 1840s. An illustration from the Royal Collection shows how the exterior of hospital looked circa 1845.
This large scale 8-inch tile is unique and brilliantly detailed, making a superb collector’s item. Hand-painted on porcelain, it is over 140 years old and captures the talent of the artist, offering a glimpse into 19th century British history. The artist, John Downes Rochfort (1825-1885), was a painter of ceramics and watercolours.
Image source: Book illustration of ‘Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest.’ by Hulme, F. W. (engraver) from The Royal Collection Trust.