A most unusual art nouveau majolica tile with
a very bold and highly stylised design. The
leaves reaching out to the corners are amongst
the most stylised near abstract leaves to be
found in art nouveau design, the flowerhead a
pure offset square and as such very
symmetrical.
It really is an amazing design that combines
two opposing aims, timelessness and modernity.
It would fit well in the 1920s and be called art
deco, equally well in the 1960s outpouring of
design. Go back in time and it would be great as
an aesthetic design or even fit in with gothic
sensibilities. The designers at Richards if one
knew their names would be better appreciated in
the tile world than the noted Voysey and
Day!
Verso perfectly clean, diagonal bars,
unmarked save for painted pattern number which
is in sequence with designs registered early in
1905.