Object Type
As well as designing a wide range of individual tiles, William De Morgan (1839-1917) also designed and produced pictorial tile panels. The smaller versions of these were sometimes framed for display as pictures, or were used in fireplaces. Larger panels, such as this example, would have been used in architectural settings, possibly above, or in the sides of, grander fireplaces, or on bathroom walls. De Morgan also supplied many tile panels for the decoration of smoking rooms on ocean liners of the P&O company. For convenience in installation, tile panels were often supplied mounted on cement or backed by a layer of plain or misfired tiles.

Design & Designing
De Morgan had a great interest in Islamic tilework, much of which was thought to be Persian in the 19th century. He frequently drew inspiration from it for his own designs. These Islamic-inspired patterns, and the dominant range of colours (turquoise, blue, green and purple) that De Morgan developed in conjunction with them, were also often termed 'Persian'. They were in fact more closely related to the tilework of Syria and Turkey. The different regional types of Islamic tile were little understood in the 19th century, despite the acquisition of large quantities of Islamic tiles by European collectors. The design of this panel playfully combines stylised floral decoration of Islamic inspiration on the vase, with more naturalistic sprays of flowers and foliage springing from it.