Mercer Moravian Pottery & Tile Works-St. John the Evangelist Tile (Eagle Symbol)
$ 26.4
Description
Mercer Moravian Pottery & Tile Works-St. John the Evangelist Tile (Eagle Symbol) The eagle is the symbol of St. John the Evangelist. Glazed. 4 ¾”.x 4 1/2" Condition: Superb. With the backstamp of the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, dated 1988. Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) began producing decorative tiles Works in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in a style based on Moravian German settlers’ design motifs for their cast iron stove plates. Between 1911 and 1912 Mercer built the present Moravian Pottery and Tile Works (MPTW) to “master the potter’s art and establish pottery under personal control.” MPTW continued operation after Mercer's death in 1930 until sometime in the 1950s. Reproductions of Mercer's original designs were introduced by the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation in 1976 Mercer generally did not affix a potter's mark to tiles made while he directed the work. Following his death, there were several marks used to indicate that a tile had originated at MPTW. When the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation took over the MPTW as a working museum, all tiles made by the museum were impressed on the obverse with a stylized "MOR," and the year of manufacture.
