Hand painted tile panel

Hand painted glazed tile panel. The panel originally consisted of ten individual tiles depicting a white exotic bird about to take flight surrounded by palm fronds and iris. Further unidentified branches frame the bird at the top of the panel. There is an inscription on the reverse of individual tiles , 'MINTON HOLLINS & Co. STOKE ON TRENT'. The design is no longer complete as two tiles are missing and three tiles are incomplete. The gaps in the partial tiles have been infilled by a conservator with plain tiling.

These tiles were taken from the second house of Sainsbury at 159 Queen's Crescent, Kentish Town, opened in 1876. They were hand painted by W. H. Dixon who was renowned for his painted panels of exotic birds and flowers and who worked for Minton Hollins and Company between 1875 and 1885. These tiles are considered an interesting example of Dixon's work because they show the artist created panels that were two tiles wide as well as one tile wide. The artist's signature is visible in the lower right corner.