TWO MINTON'S ART POTTERY MOON FLASKS

William Stephen Coleman, a well-respected artist, began working on ceramics at the Minton's factory in Stoke in 1869. In 1871, the factory established an Art Pottery Studio in Kensington Gore, London, in close proximity to institutions which would help instruct, educate, and inspire its artists – the South Kensington Museum, the School of Art, the Horticultural Gardens, and the Royal Albert Hall. Under the direction of Coleman, who specialised in portraits and subjects inspired by the natural world, vases, chargers and tiles were individually hand painted by the studio artists. However, the endeavour was short-lived with a devasting fire resulting in the closure of the studio in 1875.