One of a series of six painted tiles by Henry Holiday illustrating Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. This scene accompanies the part of the story “She longs to become a mortal, and obtains from a witch a potion which will effect the change”. The decoration is painted in over glaze enamels on glazed blank tile by Minton, Hollins & Co. The original designs for these tiles are at Standen (National Trust), four tiles (inclusing this design) are also in the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford.