£50,000 - £60,000
William de Morgan – A monumental and important architectural tile panel from the Fulham Period circa 1888 to 1898, decorated in the Persian Iznik style with large central flowering plant in trefoil cartouche flanked by perched fabulous birds, writhing serpents and stylised trees, within a field of flowering branches and scrolling foliate sprigs, in brilliant turquoise, green, purple and tonal blue glaze, decorated with over sixty four 15cm x 15cm tiles with further slender border tiles to the outer frame. Comprised of three slabs made up in the factory, backed mostly with blank De Morgan tiles, one panel reverse includes four William De Morgan decorated tiles.
Provenance - Sold at Sotheby's in the 1970s as “The Property of The English Centre of International P.E.N.” and "removed from Glebe House, Chelsea. Where the wall panel is reputed to have been commissioned by the Czar of Russia but never delivered and was eventually acquired by Henrietta Leslie who on her death bequeathed Glebe House to the present owners".
Purchased from Richard Dennis, Kensington Church Street, 21/4/1978.
NB - The author David Carver is known to have lived at Glebe House, Chelsea (also known as 63, Glebe Row) from around 1946 to 1974, and was Secretary of the P.E.N. literary society. Previously the house was owned by the Raphael/Schultz family, one of whom wrote novels under the pseudonym Henrietta Leslie. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glebe House was the residence of Reginald Blunt, General Manager of the De Morgan Works in Chelsea, and he may have been given this panel in lieu of wages.
Tiles are adhered to three panels so not examined individually, condition commensurate with age and wear. some loss to tile edges, please contact the office for detailed condition report
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Free Registration
29.6% inc VAT*
Flat Fee Registration
26.00% inc VAT*
