An exceptional collector’s piece by the legendary English manufactory Minton, and one of the most striking examples of Victorian majolica, created for grand English table settings.

This is the celebrated Minton Model No. 668 — a large oval Game Pie Dish designed in the form of a woven basket and enriched with exceptionally intricate naturalistic relief.

The body imitates woven wicker, entwined with dimensional oak branches and foliage. The cover is transformed into a remarkable sculptural composition: among ferns and leaves are a hare and game birds, including a duck.

Particularly striking is the contrast between the rich turquoise glaze of the interior and the naturalistic palette of brown, green, blue-grey and cream across the exterior decoration.

This is not a modern decorative interpretation of Victorian England, but an authentic 19th-century serving piece. Game pie dishes held a distinctive place on the tables of affluent English households, with game during the Victorian era closely associated with country estates, hunting and prestigious entertaining.

This particular design is documented by Minton as Model No. 668. Comparable examples are recorded in the catalogues of leading international auction houses, including Christie’s.

Impressive in scale, measuring approximately 36 cm in length and 19 cm in height.

Excellent condition for an item of this age, with no chips or cracks and only minimal signs of age. The interior displays natural age-related marks and crazing to the glaze, as expected in an antique piece of this period.

The original MINTON factory mark and Model No. 668 are present on the base.

A remarkably rare example of Victorian English majolica with genuine museum-quality appeal — an exceptional piece not only for grand decorative presentation, but above all for a serious collection of Minton and 19th-century English ceramics.