A Rare William De Morgan Merton Abbey Vase

This stunning, simple vase of shouldered form is painted with stylised carnation flowers in a ruby, red lustre on a white ground with the impressed Merton Abbey “Mason” mark to base. Only 12 cm high and with chips to the rim and tiny, burst glaze bubbles to the body this vase has the presence and stature of larger vases in far better condition.

The decoration is similar to the “Moffatt” pattern in tiles from this period and, as noted by Jon Catleugh in his book on William De Morgan’s tiles: “A great many of the flower patterns were also adapted for us on three-dimensional surfaces, particularly those with a dominant central motif that could be placed two, three or four times round the surface of the pot, with the intervening spaces filled in with leaves and flowers, a useful economy of the designer’s time.”

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