Object Description
A decorative 6-inch by 3-inch Arts and Crafts lustre glaze tile by Pilkington’s Tile and Pottery Co.
One of four similar in design we have for sale, this antique tile is artistically decorated with a tree of life with rich red leaves, the trunk and branches outlined in a golden lustre glaze.
A brilliant piece of British pottery for a collector of historical ceramics.
Pilkington’s Tiles & Pottery Co.
Pilkington’s was established in Clifton Junction, Manchester in 1891 by four members of the Pilkington family. Employing Josiah Wedgwood’s former chemist, William Burton, as company manager, the pottery collaborated with leading British designers including Lewis Foreman Day, Walter Crane and C. F. A. Voysey.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Pilkington’s were one of the leading makers of high-quality tiles and pottery in Britain, rivalling well-known names of the ceramics world such as Maw & Co, Doulton and Minton. Such was Pilkington’s reputation that they were awarded a Royal Warrant in 1913 by George V, trading under the name Pilkington’s Lancastrian Pottery Company.
Examples of Pilkington’s tiles can be found in The British Museum and London’s V&A.