Historical information

The Villa Alba Museum is cultural institution committed to the collection, study and display of 19th century interior decorative finishes, and the components of 19th and 20th century interior decoration. Most rooms in this historically and aesthetically significant house have stone (typically marble) fireplaces that are inset with plain and decorative tiles produced by the company of Mintons Ltd.

Physical description

Born digital photograph of the fireplace in the third bedroom of Villa Alba. The original 1880s black stone mantel, obliquely positioned in the southwest corner of the room (one of two examples in the house) is painted with a central group of three white roses. These are surrounded by flowers and foliage of jasmine that extend along the upper panel and down the sides of the mantel. It is believed that the addition of the painted flowers was completed by a freelance artist working for the Paterson Brothers; probably Ulysses Rizzi. The mantel is inset with two-tone surround tiles and decorative polychrome hearth tiles that incorporate a green ivy pattern which climbs up pieces of bamboo. Each tile is separated by a white and black border. All of the tiles were produced by Mintons Ltd.