This is no here-today-gone-tomorrow fad, however, as the demand shows no sign of faltering, with further strong bidding and multi-estimate prices recorded when another selection of De Morgan tiles went under the hammer in the auctioneers' sale of Design on May 16.
Interestingly, out of 11 lots of De Morgan wares, all seven tile lots sold, while only one of the four lots of plates and dishes found buyers. Most of the tiles were lustred animal designs but the most dramatic price was seen for the sole Isnik-inspired offering - the 6in (15cm) square tile featuring a curious half dragon/half dinosaur creature set against a green leafy background. Estimated at £1200-1400, it ended up selling for no less than £2300. In fact anything would have represented a substantial profit for the vendor who purchased it back in 1968 at a Clapham Junction flea market for just £1!
More De Morgan featured in Christie's South Kensington's 174-lot sale devoted to British Arts and Crafts on May 14. Here a group of ten blue and white tiles of Sands End period (c.1880) decorated with a design of galleons in full sail and bird motifs, topped the bill at £5500, while another group of 23, plus three half tiles of the same period, decorated with a continuous frieze of purple poppy-like flowers and green foliage realised £3600.
Demand was not confined to De Morgan though, the sale also featured a dozen Wedgwood tiles designed by Helen Miles printed with the months of the year that realised £3200, while earlier in the month there were some strong results for Pilkington's Lancastrian tiles at Sotheby's Olympia (17.5/10% buyer's premium). The auctioneers rounded off their 500-lot, May 3 applied arts sale with a 19-lot collection of these wares that had come from the family of William and Joseph Burton who were instrumental in the development and success of the factory during its formative years. Most of them were vases but the final four lots comprised groups of lustre tiles dating from the early 20th century that attracted keen American and British competition. Most popular were those featuring a heart motif set on a scale ground, with one group of 20 tiles coming in at £850, while a larger collection of 85 were pursued to no less than £5500.
Complexities of styles and design
TILES: Tiles seem to be the new hot collecting area in British decorative ceramics. Following on from a sellout exhibition at Richard Dennis’s shop in Kensington last year, Bonhams held a sale of ceramic design in January that featured a large collection of De Morgan tiles which were pursued by a determined band of private collectors to prices that rivalled those of the pottery’s striking hollowwares.
