T. & R. Boote Four Seasons Tile Puzzle

To welcome the New Year, this month’s puzzle is one of T & R Boote’s “Fours Seasons” 6” x 6” tiles. The pottery, which operated in Burslem, Staffordshire, from 1842 until 1906, produced many different tile designs based on the four-seasons theme. This design, produced in 1875, was part of a series using the same surround figures with different centers showing fruits and birds.  All the tiles in the series have the same four seasons images, printed in brown. The centers found to date have mostly been black printed as seen here. This variation has a kingfisher swooping down in a dramatic pose. The border is very narrow and filled with repeated lines close together. It is Four Season #03, Pattern Number 18871, in the TCC Database of Patterns and Sources. Two other variations are included in the database as well.