Object Description
An antique English neo-medieval 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!