Pair Mercer Moravian Pottery Sailing Ship Tiles Pre-1930 (Mercer Lifetime)
$ 116.16
Description
Pair of Mercer Moravian Pottery & Tile Works Sailing Ship-Themed Tiles Pre-1930 These are not modern reproductions. They were produced during Henry Chapman Mercer's lifetime. Blue and cream colors. Not glazed. “Aves” 3 ¾ x 3 7/8 inches. “Dutchman” 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches. Condition: Very good. Slight abrasion to raised portion of “Aves” tile. No chips or cracks. 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," the words "Bucks County" and the year of manufacture.
