Earthenware, with printed and gilded decoration. From a series Classical Figures with Musical Instruments designed by John Moyr Smith (born in Glasgow, 1839, died in 1912). The printed design includes the signature"'MOYR SMITH" on the edge of the medallion; back of the tile impressed with the globe mark and "MINTON / STOKE UPON  TRENT / WALBROOK LONDON" and "MINTONS / CHINA WORKS / STOKE ON TRENT".Moyr Smith originally trained as an architect, but later became an artist, book illustrator and designer, as well as being editor of the magazine Decoration . He  was a prolific designer of tiles, and worked primarily for Mintons Ltd. Many of his designs, including the series of Classical Figures with Musical Instruments from  which this tile comes, were used to decorate objects at Minton's Art Pottery Studio in London, as well for mass production of tiles at the Stoke-on-Trent factory. His other picture tile designs for Mintons include a series of scenes from Shakespeare and another illustrating "Early English History". 

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