Antique Mintons Marble School plate with a hand-painted central well designed by William Stephen Coleman (1829-1904). This subject and type of plate is rare.
The scene depicts a classically inspired image of a youth, wearing a cap and pinafore, leaning on a fishing rod and pulling out of a pond the catch of a single fish, the stone garden wall parallels the pond trim, and excludes the wild forest peeking over the top from the otherside in favour of the cultivated water flowers and palm fronds within. The rim is further decorated with a blue and white linear border with yellow trim.
DIMENSIONS: 8 ¼” diameter x 1 1/8” high
MARKINGS: impressed on base, “MINTONS” / 1872 Year Cypher; indecipherable month & potters marks
CONDITION: Antique, Excellent. The quality of painting is superb; although unsigned it would not be surprising if this were painted by Coleman directly.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: William Stephen Coleman (1829-1904). Painter & Illustrator. Born Horsham, Sussex to Surgeon William Thomas Coleman & Henrietta Dendy; he worked closely in studio with sibling Rose Rebecca Coleman and one of their other siblings was Helen Cordelia Coleman, RWS, RI the official Flower Painter in Ordinary to Queen Victoria (1879-1884). Unsuccessful in his surgical career he turned to natural history illustration. During this period William & Rebecca collaborated with Harrison Weir and Joseph Wolf. Predominantly a watercolour painter his style was between that of Birket Foster, for Victorianized semi-classical figural subjects and incorporating aesthetics from Albert Joseph Moore. This classically-influenced work placed him in the “toga and terrace” or “marble school” with George Bulleid, W. Anstey Dolland, Norman Prescott-Davis and Oliver Rhys. Coleman also worked in etchings, pastel and oil. Was a member of the original committee of management of the Dudley Gallery, exhibiting in 1865-1879 and remained active till 1881. In 1869 Coleman experimented with pottery at Mintons and the Mintons Art Pottery Studio in Kensington Gore was established under his direction in 1871; in 1875 it was destroyed by fire. Rebecca worked in parallel at Mintons and is also considered a primary designer. Coleman died of illness 22 March, 1904. In the majority of Museum collections including the British Museum and the V&A.
