ADAM'S Country House Collections Day II - 28th April 2026

30 452 ‘THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN’ FOUR FROM A SERIES OF SEVEN MINTON ART POTTERY STUDIO RECTANGULAR PLAQUES DESIGNED BY HENRY STACY MARKS, c.1874, various impressed, incised and stamped marks, decorator’s marks to each verso, each inscribed H.S. marks, 25 x 50.7cm (plaque). Contained in wooden frames Based on scenes from William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, and depicting figures in Medi- eval dress. € 4,000 - 6,000 Designed by Henry Stacy Marks (1829-1898) for the Minton Art Pottery Studio c.1874, this rare series translates Shakespeare’s celebrated med- itation on the passage of human life into richly detailed pictorial form. Marks, a member of the St John’s Wood Clique and known among his contemporaries as Marco, was deeply engaged with literary and historical themes during the early part of his career but from about 1870 began painting birds, frequently sketching at London Zoo. His interpretation of Shakespeare reflects both his narrative sensibility and his re- fined approach to decorative design. The present group comprises four scenes from the full sequence of seven, each capturing a distinct stage in the arc of life. The earliest is tenderly expressed in the image of a child held securely in the arms of his grandmother, ob- served by his parents beside a blossoming tree, an emblem of renewal and beginnings. This is followed by a tranquil summer garden scene, where a young child, under the watchful gaze of his parents, suggests the innocence and gentle discipline of youth. The transition to early adulthood is conveyed through the figure of an adolescent standing in contemplation, composing music before an architectural backdrop, a conjuration of aspira- tion and emotional awakening. In contrast, the final plaque in the group presents an older man attempting to court a much younger woman, a scene imbued with both sentiment and quiet humour, reflecting the self-awareness and di- minishing vitality of advancing age. Marks’ treatment of these subjects’ balances narrative clarity with decorative elegance, each plaque carefully composed to function both as an individual portrait and as part of a wider philosophical sequence. The series reflects the enduring power of Shakespeare’s envisioning of life as performance, shaped by time, circum- stance, and inevitable decline, while also align- ing with broader Victorian interest in cyclical existence and moral reflection. These works stand as refined examples of late nineteenth century artistic collaboration be- tween painter and manufacturer, uniting liter- ary inspiration with the technical excellence of Minton’s pottery production.