Pair Arts & Crafts Tile Plaque Sculptures Attributed Reginald Robert Tomlinson

Pair Arts & Crafts Turquoise Glazed Ceramic Relief Tile Plaques c.1909 🐐🐕 Children & Satyr With Dog & Children With Goat Reginald Robert Tomlinson (1885–1978), After Claude Michel (Clodion)

Subject & Medium
A rare pair of Arts & Crafts era turquise glazed ceramic relief tile plaques, c.1909, richly finished in mottled teal-blue tones and mounted in original gilt-lined ebonized frames. Subjects: Enfants au Chien (Children with Satyr & Dog) and Enfants à la Chèvre (Children with Goat) 🐐. Both compositions are inspired by Rococo reliefs by Claude Michel, known as Clodion (1738–1814), famed for his playful depictions of putti and Bacchic revelry.

Composition & Technique

These plaques are cast in high relief with finely modeled textures, then finished with a lustrous Arts & Crafts glaze that enhances depth and sculptural detail.

Children with Goat (Enfants à la Chèvre) 🐐: A lively group of children struggle with a goat — some tugging at its horns, others clambering over one another, their chubby limbs intertwined in playful chaos. The goat’s wiry coat and sharp features provide tactile contrast against the rounded softness of the children’s bodies. The background has a turbulent Rococo energy, enlivened by Tomlinson’s expressive glazing.
Children with Dog (Enfants au Chien) 🐕: Putti grapple with a powerful hound, tugging at ropes while one child rides triumphantly on its back. The dog’s musculature is carefully modeled in low relief, its taut form conveying motion and strength. The scene reflects Rococo exuberance, yet the treatment of surface and glaze aligns with the Arts & Crafts sensibility.
Both plaques fuse Clodion’s Rococo dynamism with Arts & Crafts glazing techniques, producing works that are at once historicist and modern.

Inscribed / Verso / Signed
Unsigned, as typical of apprentice or early workshop productions. Attributed to Reginald Robert Tomlinson, created possibly during his apprentice period of work with Minton, Hollins & Co. circa 1909, in the manner of Clodion.

About the Artist
Reginald Robert Tomlinson (1885–1978)
Training & Early Career: Studied at Farnham School of Art; apprenticed with Bernard Moore, master of flambé and lustre glazes (1906–1909). Worked as pottery designer at Minton, Hollins & Co. in 1909. Later trained at the Royal College of Art (ARCA diploma).
Ceramics & Design: Art Director of Crown Staffordshire China Co. (1913–1919). Won gold medals at Ghent & Turin. Exhibited at the 1910 Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society.

Painting Career: From the 1920s, painted portraits, allegories, and figures in oils & pastels. Works now in Guildhall Art Gallery (London), Potteries Museum (Stoke), and Cheltenham’s The Wilson.
Educational Leadership: Principal of Cheltenham School of Arts & Crafts; Senior Inspector of Art for the London County Council; twice Acting Principal at the Central School of Arts & Crafts.
Publications: Picture and Pattern Making for Children (1934), Crafts for Children (1935), Children as Artists (1947, Penguin).
Honours: Member of the Royal Society of British Artists (R.B.A.); Master of the Art Workers’ Guild (1955); awarded the O.B.E. (1955).

Dimensions framed
Each plaque: 34 cm wide
Heights: 22.25 cm and 22 cm
Depth: 2.5 cm

Provenance

Private collection, northern shire antiques dealer
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Exhibited at Middle Shire Museum

Why You’ll Love Them
Rare early Tomlinson plaques
Rococo-inspired compositions after Clodion 
Lustrous Arts & Crafts glazing with depth and richness 
Highly decorative — perfect for display in traditional or eclectic interiors 
Collectible crossover between ceramic art, Arts & Crafts design, and Rococo revivalism 

Condition Report
General Overview
This pair of ceramic relief plaques, depicting playful putti/cherubs with animals, remains in good antique condition. They retain their original glaze and are well-presented in matching later black and gilt frames which have some losses and overpainting touch ups in places. The artworks show expected age-related wear.

Detailed Assessment
Ceramic Surfaces
Glaze: Rich blue-green glaze with depth and shine remains intact.
Crazing: Fine crackle patterns throughout the surface, typical of aged ceramics, especially visible in lighter areas.
Wear: Minor surface wear and dulling in some raised portions, consistent with handling and age.
Stains/Marks: Scattered dark spots and slight discoloration in areas; likely age deposits or firing variations.
Losses/Repairs: Some small chips, losses, and touch-ups in places, not distracting to overall presentation.

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