Museum Object Number2022.0018.001.001 |
Tile (Fireplace or wall tile)
"Much Ado about Nothing" Act IV Scene II
Ceramics
Gift of Sylvia Leistyna Lahvis, PhD
Minton factory (Maker)
John Moyr Smith (Designer)
17931839
1912
Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe
1873-1874
1. Inscription; Central reserve border (top); "Mvch ADO ABOVT NOThING IV II"
2. Signature; Central reserve (low center); "IMS"
Theater; Shakespeare, William; Illustrious Moderns
Earthenware
Printed, Molded, Dust-pressed
Tile is 6" square
The body of this transfer-printed tile was created via a process known as dust-pressing, that was first patented by Richard Prosser in 1840 and was used by the Minton factory in Staffordshire. The tile's ornament reflects the then-popular fascination with William Shakespeare's plays and was created by the prominent designer John Moyr Smith. This example portrays a scene from "Much Ado about Nothing," Act IV, Scene II. The full Minton Shakespeare tile series includes twenty-four scenes, some from well-known plays, and variously are identified as "Anthony and Cleopatra," Hamlet," "King Lear," "Macbeth," "Merchant of Venice," "Midsummer Night's Dream," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Othello," "Romeo and Juliet," "Taming of the Shrew," "The Tempest," "Twelfth Night," and "Winterthur's Tale." Plays referenced on tiles but perhaps less often performed on modern stages include "Cymbeline," "Timon of Athens," and "Troilus and Cressida." Although the central reserves in the series remain the same, such tiles were available 6" or 8" dimensions, in a range of colorways and with different border details. As well as being used in fireplace surrounds and on walls, these and other tiles formed decorative elements on furniture. Shakespeare series designs also were printed by Minton on tableware and vases. (Winterthur is grateful to The Transferware Collectors Club for research support provided by the Paul and Gladys Richards Research Grant Program for Studies in British Transferware.)
[Electronic] Transferware Collectors Club. Transferware Collectors Club Database of Patterns & Sources. Transferware Collectors Club 03/13/2024 https://www.transferwarecollectorsclub.org/members/database
• Same scene and border printed in black and cream on white tile: pattern title listed as "Much Ado about Nothing" Act IV Scene II (Alternate Names: Shakespeare; Pattern no. 1408), pattern no. 15149, maker's mark no. 69353. Maker Mintons (1873-1950). From a series of 24 Shakespeare tiles. "This is a prison scene II from Act IV. The gnome-like person (Dogberry) is in charge, and Verges is his assistant."
[Book] Stapleton, Annamarie. 2020 John Moyr Smith 1839-1912: A Victorian Designer.
• Book focused on John Moyr Smith designs
[Book] Stapleton, Annamarie. 2020 John Moyr Smith 1839-1912: A Victorian Designer.
• Minton Shakespeare tiles series by John Moyr Smith: pp. 72-73, noting this is Moyr Smith's and Minton's largest tile series, featuring 24 central reserve designs on 6" and 8" tiles. c. 1874
[Electronic] van Lemmen, Hans. Minton's Prosser's Patent Tiles 1840-1854. Academia.edu (Journal of the Tiles & Architectural Ceramics Society) 06/23/2022 https://www.academia.edu/40425467/Mintons_Prossers_Patent_Tiles_1840_1854
• Article on dust-pressed tile process at Minton