Tile — April, Etruria, 1878
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1878
Tile in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number WE.14610-2014), made in Etruria, dated 1878, attributed to Miles, Helen Jane Arundel. The museum's brief description reads: Tile, 'April', Creamware with blue transfer printing, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Etruria, 1878.. Museum description: Square tile, 'April', Creamware with cream glaze and transfer-printed image in blue of a young boy and girl outside under a tree, with the girl holding an umbrella over the two of them . Bottom left corner has 'April'. Back has seven raised horizontal lines. The museum records it as Creamware with transfer printing, measuring Height 11 mm; Width 155 mm; Length 155 mm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Tile, 'April', Creamware with blue transfer printing. This tile was designed by Helen Jane Arundel Miles, and is one of a set of twelve depicting the twelve months. Miles was a watercolourist and book illustrator who exhibited regularly between 1860 and 1883. She provided many designs for tiles for Wedgwood from the 1870s onwards. Josiah Wedgwood undertook a series of experiments and trials in the development of his new clay bodies: Creamware, Jasperware and Black Basalt. Around 5000 trials were created in the process of perfecting the creamware alone. The majority of his trials for creamware were completed by 1763, but individual experiments continued to be made until the 1770s. From 1765, Wedgwood marketed his creamware as ‘Queen’s ware’ following Royal approval by Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- earthenware
- Dimensions
- Height 11 mm; Width 155 mm; Length 155 mm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Creamware with transfer printing
- Maker recorded
- Miles, Helen Jane Arundel
- Place recorded
- Etruria
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- April' (printed in blue); '2' (embossed); (blue marking on back but illegible)
Identification
- Museum object name
- Tile
- Museum object number
- WE.14610-2014
- Museum system number
- O1818834
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.