Hand painted tile panel (from 159 Queen's Crescent, Kentish Town branch)

Hand painted glazed tile panel. Originally consisted of 10 individual tiles depicting a heron poised on a water edge surrounded by reeds and water lilies with 2 birds perched in a tree and 2 swallows in flight overhead. The design is no longer complete as pieces of tile have broken off and are missing, these gaps have been filled by a conservator with plain tiling.

These tiles were taken from the second house of Sainsbury at 159 Queen's Cresent, Kentish Town, opened in 1873. They were hand painted by W. H. Dixon who was renowned for his painted panels of exotic birds and flowers and worked for Minton, Hollins and Co. between 1875 and 1885. These tiles are considered an interesting example of his work because they show the artist created dual panel pieces as well as single panel. Artist's signature in lower left corner.