A rare late 19th/early 20th century Minton, Hollins & Co. brown and white encaustic ceramic commemorative London County Council (LCC) circular plaque for the poet and artist William Blake (British, 1757-1827), mounted on a later stand The plaque probably originally sited at 13 Hercules Buildings, Lambeth (now Lambeth Road), London Inscribed WILLIAM BLAKE, THE POET PAINTER LIVED HERE FROM 1793-1800 beneath an orb and X monogram and within a wide interlaced line border, the reverse with impressed factory mark MINTON & C, STOKE UPON TRENT, PATENT, the plaque, 48cm diameter, 2cm deep approximately, the stand, 49cm high, 40cm wide, 9cm deep approximately (2) Footnotes: Although the offered lot lists that Blake lived at the site from 1793 to 1800, it is likely that it was installed at Blake's former home at 13 Hercules Buildings in Lambeth. Online listings, however, record that William Blake lived at the address for a slightly longer period, from 1791 to 1800, during which time he produced his famous work 'Songs of Experience'. The London County Council apparently installed a plaque commemorating Blake from around 1900, but this was presumably removed when the house was demolished in 1918. Although thought to be lost, it is likely that the present lot is that plaque. Today, the site of Blake's Lambeth home forms part of the William Blake Estate, and the surrounding area features mosaics dedicated to him. Minton, specifically the firm Minton, Hollins and Co., played a formative role in the development of commemorative plaques in Britain. From approximately 1867 until the early twentieth century, the company manufactured ceramic tablets for the Society of Arts, producing predominantly chocolate brown encaustic inlaid plaques that served as direct precursors to the later London blue plaque scheme. Although these plaques are often attributed simply to Minton, they were produced by Minton, Hollins and Co., a closely associated but distinct firm established in 1845 to specialise in architectural ceramics such as encaustic tiles and exterior wall tablets, while the parent firm Minton was better known for fine and decorative wares. Brown was favoured during the first thirty five years of the programme as it was technically easier to produce than blue. These early plaques were typically rectangular, sometimes bordered with the letters SA, and were occasionally mounted on painted wooden surrounds. Following a 1901 review, responsibility for the scheme passed to the London County Council, which initially continued to use the Minton works before transferring production to Doulton in 1923 and standardising the familiar blue circular format. A notable surviving example is the 1890 plaque commemorating the poet Robert Browning at 19 Warwick Crescent, which was manufactured by Minton, Hollins and Co. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing