Four Liverpool delftware tiles, circa 1770-80

Four Liverpool delftware tiles, circa 1770-80 Printed in black by Guy Green within '88' borders, depicting Aesop's fables 'The Dog and the Sheep' (D8-15), 'The Wolf and the Lamb' (D8-43), 'The Fox and the Crow' (D8-20) and 'The Lamb Brought Up by a Goat' (D8-30), the last printed in red, three black-printed tiles 12.7cm x 12.7cm approx, red-printed tile 12cm x 12cm approx (4) Footnotes: In 1770 John Sadler retired. Under Guy Green's auspices the Fables series seems to constitute one of the venture's most popular outputs in subsequent years. Forty-five different Aesop's Fables tiles have been recorded. They all follow the woodcut designs published in Dr Samuel Croxall's book of 1722 which ran to five editions, although they are much more detailed and in reverse. This is possibly accounted for by the intermediary source of a pack of playing cards, and Green's use of fine copper-plate engravings. See Anthony Ray, Liverpool Printed Tiles, ECC Trans, Vol.9, Pt.1 (1973) where the designs on the present lot are identified as D8-15, 20, 30 and 43. The tile of 'The Wolf and the Lamb' is the only one which differs from the Croxall design and derives from an engraving by Sebastien Leclerc, see Ray p.62, D8-43. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing