Pair Arts & Crafts Ceramic Relief Plaques Children With Goat & Children With Satyr & Dog c.1909 Reginald Robert Tomlinson

Details

Description

Pair of Arts & Crafts Era Ceramic Relief Plaques — Enfants à la Chèvre (Children with Goat) & Enfants au … Read more Pair of Arts & Crafts Era Ceramic Relief Plaques — Enfants à la Chèvre (Children with Goat) & Enfants au Chien (Children with Satyr & Dog) , c.1909, Attributed to Reginald Robert Tomlinson (1885–1978), After Clodion

Subject & Medium
An exceptionally rare pair of Arts & Crafts era turquoise-glazed ceramic relief sculpture plaques, c.1909, attributed to Reginald Robert Tomlinson (1885–1978). Each is finely cast in high relief, finished with a mottled teal-blue glaze of striking depth, and presented in original gilt-lined ebonized frames.
The subjects, Enfants à la Chèvre (Children with Goat) and Enfants au Chien (Children with Satyr & Dog) , are inspired by Rococo reliefs of Claude Michel, called Clodion (1738–1814), celebrated for his playful depictions of putti and Bacchic revelry. Tomlinson’s treatment fuses Clodion’s Rococo exuberance with the Arts & Crafts glazing sensibility, producing works that are at once historicist and modern.

Composition & Technique
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 rounded forms animated in playful chaos. The goat’s wiry coat offers tactile contrast to the softness of the children’s bodies. The Rococo energy of Clodion’s original is enriched by Tomlinson’s lustrous Arts & Crafts glaze.
Children with Satyr & Dog (Enfants au Chien) : Putti grapple with a powerful hound while one child rides triumphantly on its back. The animal’s musculature is carefully modeled in low relief, conveying motion and strength. Rococo vivacity is here tempered by the depth of glaze and surface treatment characteristic of Arts & Crafts ceramics.

✒️ Inscribed / Verso / Signed
Unsigned, as typical of early or apprentice productions. The plaques are attributed to Tomlinson, likely executed during his period with Minton, Hollins & Co. circa 1909, and conceived after Clodion.

About the Artist
Reginald Robert Tomlinson (1885–1978)
Training & Early Career: Farnham School of Art; apprentice to Bernard Moore, master of flambé and lustre glazes (1906–1909). Designer at Minton, Hollins & Co. in 1909; later studied at the Royal College of Art.
Ceramics & Design: Art Director at Crown Staffordshire China Co. (1913–1919); gold medals at Ghent & Turin; exhibited at the 1910 Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society.
Painting Career: From the 1920s, turned to painting portraits, allegories, and figures in oils & pastels. Works in the Guildhall Art Gallery (London), Potteries Museum (Stoke), and The Wilson, Cheltenham.
Educational Leadership: Principal of Cheltenham School of Arts & Crafts; Senior Inspector of Art for the LCC; 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 RBA; Master of the Art Workers’ Guild (1955); O.B.E. (1955).
Dimensions (framed)
Width: 34 cm each
Height: 22.25 cm & 22 cm
Depth: 2.5 cm

Provenance
From a private northern shire collection, by descent through an antiques dealer; later curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD; exhibited at Middle Shire Museum.

Why Collect Them
Rare early Tomlinson plaques
Rococo-inspired compositions after Clodion ✨
Lustrous Arts & Crafts glazing with depth and richness
Highly decorative and display-ready in original gilt-lined frames
Collectible crossover between ceramic art, Arts & Crafts design, and Rococo revivalism See less