Tiled Table

Quentin Bell

Polychrome pottery tiles depicting a central merman flanked by two mermaids, set in a patinated metal table frame with bowed stretchers. Making tiled tables was a family tradition for Quentin Bell, following his mother Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's work with the Omega Workshops. Bell appears to have made the tiles himself, working in association with the Fulham Pottery, circa 1985. The numbers inscribed on the reverse helped him reassemble the composition after firing. The design relates closely to a private commission from 1983 for a tiled bathroom scheme populated by merfolk. Mermen and mermaids recur throughout Bell's work, reflecting his interest in classical mythology and offering decorative possibilities. This table is particularly unusual for its sustained figurative imagery, as Bell more commonly favoured abstract arrangements. The design was incised into the handmade clay tiles with a pointed implement, creating strong graphic lines. Color and glaze were subsequently applied, with exposed outer edges finished in gold and refired at low temperature. This is an exceptionally fine and rare example of Quentin Bell's work, bringing together his fascination with classical mythology, playful humor, and instinctive understanding of the relationship between figure, pattern and color.