Can I have some educated opinions on these tiles please?

I bought these, with some others, blindly. I thought they were framed to be wall hung, but having paid for and picked them up, they were obviously used as a table top, as can be seen in the reverse photo.
I believe they date to early 20th century, no later than 1920's in my opinion.
I think someone has made a table around them, the wood does not seem as old as the tiles. Or are the tiles later in date? I doubt this, but happy to be corrected if wrong.
The tiles are gorgeous, though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them.
Thoughts welcomed, thank you.

And one of the reverse

I would go along with the date of the tiles and wonder if it is Romeo & Juliet. I don't thing you should take much notice of the frame, as they could easily have been reframed later and converted from one use to another.

studio-pots wrote:I would go along with the date of the tiles and wonder if it is Romeo & Juliet. I don't thing you should take much notice of the frame, as they could easily have been reframed later and converted from one use to another.

You may be right studio, but I see two ladies. Having said that, I do need to get my eyes tested.
The cement is coming away in several places, so probably going to very slowly chip away at it and try to free them from the frame. Ill not rush this, last thing I want is damage.
Thanks for the confirmation, much appreciated.

benwilliams wrote:They’re lovely and would look great as a wall mural . Great find.

That's exactly what I thought when I saw them Ben, allbeit online.
Didn't know they had been converted and when I got them the weight surprised me. They would bring my lounge wall down if I hung them as is.

Romeo and Juliet sprang to mind straight away... The clothes are the give away,,,,

Great find!

Would look great on the wall.

Thanks MC, though why do the clothes lead you to think that? If I'm missing something obvious I would like to be enlightened, cheers

Lovely panel.
Are those Ear Muffs with a Head Band that the right hand figure is wearing? Would that type of headpiece be unusual in that period of history? Equally, is it two female figures? The face of the left hand one looks a bit effeminate
Romeo and Juliet is a safe bet, but I wonder if the actual historical period is a good deal later?

The thing is to tile them onto a wall as a feature - you can see what the drawbacks would be, but that is where they belong, really. A tabletop is not a bad solution.

hi, It was not unusual for two women to play both parts in the 19th century Romeo and Juliet play, for example the American Cushman sisters , the Italianate background seems to suggest a Shakespearian scene which could have been taken from an original engraving
or from designs on tiles by Moyr Smith or Stacy Marks perhaps.

I'm genuinely not sure Phil. Definitely some sort of fastening on the head, but I'm seeing a flower attached where the ear is. Saying that, my eyes aren't great.

Looks like both are wearing a dress, though from what you say (Croker), that doesn't rule Romeo & Juliet out of the equation.

Fresco I agree, it's just the weight and that's a real problem with our walls.
The thought of using them as a table turns my stomach, I'd be moving it upstairs every time we have the family round. Though my partner has suggested a perspex cover.
I have put them away for now, but will carefully chip away at the outer cement, which needs little help to come away. Unlike another converted panel I bought, which I also bought blind, believing it to be Minton's, but the cement looks far more recent and I think there's no comparison between the two, date wise. The condition report was not accurate, but I don't regret either purchase. I'll probably move the second panel on, I was a little over indulgent that day and I fancy keeping hold of the older panel, if and when I get around to working on it to turn it into something I can display.
I'll add the other panel on a new thread.
Thank you all for your really useful, informative comments, I am very grateful

I've finally gotten round to researching these and the info above kindly provided tallies up nicely with Shakespeare. The Cushman sisters, who I previously knew nothing about, are fascinating characters of their time.
I've found a near identical painting of the tiled scene by the artist Jennie Harbour 1893 - 1959.
It's early days yet, but I'm hoping there's some marks to the reverse side of the tiles. I've cautiously removed the frame and some of the surrounding cement, which is somewhat perished.
There is cotton between the tiles and the board, I was really surprised by this and it is a bonus, in so much as it may mean they come away clean after I have soaked them. It's a nervy process and I'm not rushing it, but I will hopefully be able to update here with the factory marks, if all goes well.

After many hours of toil I managed to remove the last of these earlier in the week, my hands are still throbbing.
No noticeable marks to the reverse side of any of them, unfortunately.