Stock No. 33794

Minton Encaustic Neo-Medieval Tile Depicting a Queen

An antique neo-medieval old English encaustic tile depicting a Queen, possibly Queen Eleanor, with a bird, attributed to Minton & Co. This tile was commissioned in 1840-42 by L. N. Cottingham for Temple Church, London and possibly removed following WWII bomb damage. It was not until 1850 that Minton and Co. began stamping the reverse…

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£1,575.00

Dimensions

Depth: 2.5cm0.98in

Width: 16cm6.3in

Height: 16cm6.3in

Weight: 2kg4.41lbs

Metric
Imperial

Condition Report

Good structural condition. Minor wear to the glaze. Minor chips.

Wear

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor Losses, scuffs, and scratches.

Date of Manufacture

Circa 1840

Maker

Minton & Company

Material

Encaustic

Origin

England

Period

Mid 19th Century

Style

Neo-Medieval

About this piece

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An antique neo-medieval old English encaustic tile depicting a Queen, possibly Queen Eleanor, with a bird, attributed to Minton & Co. This tile was commissioned in 1840-42 by L. N. Cottingham for Temple Church, London and possibly removed following WWII bomb damage.

It was not until 1850 that Minton and Co. began stamping the reverse of their tiles. Though unstamped, the same tile can be found in The British Museum. Another similar to this one also in the Museum is attributed to some of Minton’s earliest works:

“Minton & Co.’s first major commission was for the restoration of the Temple Church in 1840-42… The earliest Minton tiles are two-colour inlaid tiles characterised by random stabmarks (a device which aids drying found on the reverse) together with the yellow glaze covering the inlaid white of buff areas.”

As is the nature of encaustic tiles, both the red background and yellow figure form the body of the tile, unlike other tiles where the design is painted onto clay. This may be why it has such excellent definition after more than 180 years, the figure of the Queen clear and vibrant against the red with minimal surface wear. A brilliant collector’s piece!

Additional information

Weight 2 kg
Dimensions 2.5 × 16 × 16 cm
Date of Manufacture

Circa 1840

Maker

Material

Origin

England

Period

Mid 19th Century

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