Castle Acre Tiles: Dragon of Castle Acre
primary
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
(established Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1898)
designer
Henry C. Mercer
(Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1856 - 1930, Doylestown, Pennsylvania)
Date1901
Place MadeDoylestown, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
MediumGlazed ceramic
Dimensions4 x 4 in. (10.2 x 10.2 cm)
ClassificationsArchitectural Elements
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberC25w51.3
eMuseum ID729391
EmbARK ObjectID26547
Other NumberMC59
Previous NumberC25w51.c
TMS Source ID10242
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryIsabella Stewart Gardner oversaw all the details of the Museum during its design and construction, 1899–1902. She collaborated with the tile maker and owner of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Henry Chapman Mercer, on the galleries’ custom floors. Ceramicists and trained laborers produced Mercer’s unique designs by molding tiles from handmade casts and applying slips and glazes for firing. His earliest notable series, Castle Acre, drew inspiration from medieval tiles in Europe and can be seen throughout the Gardner Museum.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendell Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935) p. 87. (as made by Henry Chapman Mercer of Doylestown, Pennsylvania)
Christina Nielsen et. al. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Guide (New Haven, 2017), p. 67, ill.
Maggie Goldstein, "Henry Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works at Fenway Court," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 23 January 2024, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/henry-mercers-moravian-pottery-and-tile-works-fenway-court
Christina Nielsen et. al. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Guide (New Haven, 2017), p. 67, ill.
Maggie Goldstein, "Henry Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works at Fenway Court," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 23 January 2024, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/henry-mercers-moravian-pottery-and-tile-works-fenway-court
ProvenanceNotesProbably purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Doylestown, Pennsylvania on 14 June 1901 for $898. (for 1722 square feet of tiles)
