Two mixed lots of Victorian dust-pressed tiles sold for multi-estimate sums at Mander (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Sudbury on November 30. Key to their appeal were the inclusion of near sets of tiles made by Minton Hollins & Co to designs by Arts & Crafts luminaries.

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | Roland Arkell

A job lot of more than 30 titles included 12 transfer printed and painted tiles c.1875 depicting various Aesop’s Fables. The designs (a series of 16) are traditionally attributed to Clement Heaton (1861-1940), the talented stained glass maker and architectural decorator whose career spanned decades in England, Switzerland and latterly the US.

Extra titles in the lot included a Minton fish tile from the 1930s, a William de Morgan pink Daisy pattern tile and a series of black and white transfer printed designs in the manner of Christopher Dresser depicting traditional Aesthetic movement motifs of dragonflies, water birds, fish and bulrushes. Estimated at £50-70, they sold at £2900.

Another regular freelance contributor to Minton Hollins & Co was John Moyr Smith (1839-1912). A later lot in the sale including 10 tiles from the well-known set of 12 designed with subjects from Tennyson’s Idylls of the King sold to a bidder on thesaleroom.com for £1500 (estimate £50-70).