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This terracotta tile once adorned the exterior of the original building of the Museum of Fine Arts, completed in 1876 and located in Copley Square. With it's stylized, or simplified interpretation of a cluster of maple leaves, it reflected the ideals of the Design Reform movement, and specifically the influence of British designer Owen Jones. Architect John Hubbard Sturgis commissioned his friend John Marriott Blashfield, a pioneer in architectural terracotta in England, to make these tiles. The difficult logistics of fulfilling the MFA’s overseas order ultimately led to the collapse of Blashfield’s Stamford Terracotta Company.
Copley Square tile
Architect / Designer: John Hubbard Sturgis (1834–1888)
Manufacturer: John Marriott Blashfield (1811 – 1882)
Made at: The Stamford Terracotta Company (1858 – 1878)
Manufacturer: John Marriott Blashfield (1811 – 1882)
Made at: The Stamford Terracotta Company (1858 – 1878)
American
1871–75
Object Place: Stamford, England
Medium/Technique
Terracotta
Dimensions
22.86 x 22.86 x 5.08 cm (9 x 9 x 2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William A. Cuneen
Accession Number1986.103
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsArchitectural elements – Tile and inlays
This terracotta tile once adorned the exterior of the original building of the Museum of Fine Arts, completed in 1876 and located in Copley Square. With it's stylized, or simplified interpretation of a cluster of maple leaves, it reflected the ideals of the Design Reform movement, and specifically the influence of British designer Owen Jones. Architect John Hubbard Sturgis commissioned his friend John Marriott Blashfield, a pioneer in architectural terracotta in England, to make these tiles. The difficult logistics of fulfilling the MFA’s overseas order ultimately led to the collapse of Blashfield’s Stamford Terracotta Company.
Provenance1906, salvaged from the demolished Museum of Fine Arts building in Copley Square, Boston by Thomas J. Cuneen, Boston; by descent to his son, William A. Cuneen, Boston; 1986, gift of Cuneen to the MFA. (Accession date: March 26, 1986)