The Home Beautiful: A Minton Tile, 1880

Tile
Minton, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made circa 1880 by Minton, this earthenware tile was stenciled with a design before being glazed and fired.  The stenciled pattern depicts four scenes: a sunrise, a balloon, a toad and a rooster.

It was made at Minton’s Stoke-on-Trent, England, Factory and was part of a large set of tiles depicting similarly bucolic scenes predominantly in browns and blues.  

To Serve and Project: The Summer Tile, 1881

Tile of "Summer"
Kate Greenaway, 1881
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the late Nineteenth Century, ceramic wall tiles were considered quite fashionable and the demand for them grew considerably, especially to be used in conjunction with fireplaces since the new cast-iron grates that began to appear during this period were specifically designed to be set with tiles. The tiles were fitted to metal panels that bolted onto the frame. At the start of this trend, pictorial tiles with pastoral scenes were especially popular and, often, tiles with series of different scenes were used.

The invention of “dust-pressing,” which developed in the 1840s, aided the mass production of tiles. The process allowed tiles to be formed by compacting powdered clay under high pressure in a screw-press. As many as 1,800 tiles a day—of a consistently high quality--could made on a single press, operated by two people. The result was tiles which were much less prone to warping than earlier examples.

Here, we see a tile made in such a manner—in 1881. It is one of a set of four tiles of the seasons. In this example, a woman is in her garden watering flowers, wearing a Japanese hairstyle and clothing. The style of the figure on this tile is close in appearance to figures drawn by one Kate Greenaway (1846-1901)-- one of the most celebrated children's book illustrators of the period. It is highly likely to have been her work since she often lent her talents to especially commissioned tile pieces.

The Home Beautiful: The Chateau d'Ecouen Tile, 1542

Tin-glazed earthenware tile.
Rouen, France, 1542
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This earthenware tile looks like the sort made in the Nineteenth Century. When I was sifting through images for this week’s posts, I came upon this object and made a note to myself about the “jester tile from 1840.” But, this is no Victorian tile—it’s about three hundred years older than that. 

The tile was made in 1542 in Rouen, France of buff earthenware with a tin glaze. Image. It’s in remarkable shape for being from the Sixteenth Century. Painted with a pointy-eared jester, the tile is likely to be one of a series of similarly-painted tiles from the workshop of Masseot Abaquesne. Other tiles from that set—made for use in pavement at the Chateau d'Ecouen --bear the arms of Anne de Montmorency impaling those of his wife Madelaine of Savoy. 

It's believed that the jester tile is associated with this group from the Chateau d'Ecouen.

The Home Beautiful: The “Flora's Train” Tiles, 1900-1901

Set of Six Tiles called "Flora's Train"
Walter Crane, 1900-1902
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Circa 1900, Victorian artist and illustrator, Walter Crane (1845-1915) designed this set of six tiles which, while similar to the style he used for book illustrations, also shows the influence of the rising Art Nouveau. The tiles have been molded so that the outlines of the patterns are raised in relief. Obviously, the design for the tiles was created before they were fired, allowing this relief to have been made. Each pale blue tile depicts a female figure.

On each tile, the gown worn by the woman depicted has been colored to match the flower with which she has been posed. The flowers depicted are: cornflower, blue-bell, columbine, anemone, poppy and daffodil

Made in Clifton Junction, (near Manchester) England at Pilkington's Tile and Pottery Company, the set of earthenware tiles was called "Flora's Train.”

The Home Beautiful: A Maw & Co. Tile, c. 1835

Earthenware Tile
Maw & Co., , 1885
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This attractive earthenware tile in relief is adorned with a quatrefoil in deep crimson with a pattern of stylized emerald-hued leaves which lead to the center of the tile. A repeated relief of blue forget-me-nots completes the design.

Made in Broseley, England around 1885, this is the work of Maw & Co, a producer of elegant tiles which was established in 1850 and still continues to manufacture tiling for the world's most luxurious and prestigious addresses.

The Home Beautiful: A Stove Tile, 1561

Stove Tile
Germany, 1561
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Today is one of those days when my Internet connection is being apoplectic and deciding at random points to cut out and make my router blink and flash as if it’s having a seizure. So, forgive the slowness of my communications today. Frankly, I might as well be in the Nineteenth Century. I often wish that were the case. But, then, I remember how much I like antibiotics.

Speaking of times when people could die from a splinter, how about the Sixteenth Century?

That’s when this nifty tile was made in Germany—around 1561. These kinds of tiles were made to enclose wood-burning stoves. These ties were usually rectangular with charming relief scenes on them. This one, for example depicts “Faith,” and it’s from a series of tiles made in Köln to represent the Virtues and Liberal Arts. The earthenware tile shows Faith holding a cross and goblet, which seems appropriate. It is neatly adorned with colored glazes.


 

The Home Beautiful: The Chateau d'Ecouen Tile, 1542

Tin-glazed earthenware tile.
Rouen, France, 1542
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This earthenware tile looks like the sort made in the Nineteenth Century. When I was sifting through images for this week’s posts, I came upon this object and made a note to myself about the “jester tile from 1840.” But, this is no Victorian tile—it’s about three hundred years older than that. 

The tile was made in 1542 in Rouen, France of buff earthenware with a tin glaze. Image. It’s in remarkable shape for being from the Sixteenth Century. Painted with a pointy-eared jester, the tile is likely to be one of a series of similarly-painted tiles from the workshop of Masseot Abaquesne. Other tiles from that set—made for use in pavement at the Chateau d'Ecouen --bear the arms of Anne de Montmorency impaling those of his wife Madelaine of Savoy. 

It's believed that the jester tile is associated with this group from the Chateau d'Ecouen.

The Home Beautiful: A Maw & Co. Tile, c. 1835

Earthenware Tile
Maw & Co., , 1885
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This attractive earthenware tile in relief is adorned with a quatrefoil in deep crimson with a pattern of stylized emerald-hued leaves which lead to the center of the tile. A repeated relief of blue forget-me-nots completes the design.

Made in Broseley, England around 1885, this is the work of Maw & Co, a producer of elegant tiles which was established in 1850 and still continues to manufacture tiling for the world's most luxurious and prestigious addresses.

The Home Beautiful: A Minton Tile, 1880

Tile
Minton, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made circa 1880 by Minton, this earthenware tile was stenciled with a design before being glazed and fired.  The stenciled pattern depicts four scenes: a sunrise, a balloon, a toad and a rooster. 

It was made at Minton’s Stoke-on-Trent, England, Factory and was part of a large set of tiles depicting similarly bucolic scenes predominantly in browns and blues. 

The Home Beautiful: The “Flora's Train” Tiles, 1900-1901

Set of Six Tiles called "Flora's Train"
Walter Crane, 1900-1902
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Circa 1900, Victorian artist and illustrator, Walter Crane (1845-1915) designed this set of six tiles which, while similar to the style he used for book illustrations, also shows the influence of the rising Art Nouveau. The tiles have been molded so that the outlines of the patterns are raised in relief. Obviously, the design for the tiles was created before they were fired, allowing this relief to have been made. Each pale blue tile depicts a female figure.

On each tile, the gown worn by the woman depicted has been colored to match the flower with which she has been posed. The flowers depicted are: cornflower, blue-bell, columbine, anemone, poppy and daffodil

Made in Clifton Junction, (near Manchester) England at Pilkington's Tile and Pottery Company, the set of earthenware tiles was called "Flora's Train.”

The Home Beautiful: A Delftware Tile from Hampton Court Palace, 1694

Delftware Tile
Lead-glazed Earthenware
Dutch, 1694
Made for the Water Gallery at Hampton Court Palace
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, tin-glazed earthenware tiles like this one were produced in large quantities in the Netherlands. This example, however, is exceptional in both its unusually large size, the quality of its decoration and its subject matter.


This tile was one of a group produced for Mary II (ruled 1688-1694) by Adrianus Kocx's prestigious “Greek A” factory in Delft. Daniel Marot (1661-1752), a Huguenot émigré, painted this as well as the others in the series of panels which were each formed from four tiles. The set was made to flank a fireplace or, possibly, a doorway at The Water Gallery--a Tudor building at Hampton Court near London that had been remodeled by Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).

A contemporary writer Celia Fiennes (1662-1741), who visited The Water Gallery soon after the completion of the remodel in 1694, said Queen Mary II took great delight in the redesigned space. Fiennes continued that The Gallery “opened into a balcony on to the water and was decked with china and fine pictures.” At “The Gallery,” Queen Mary II is said by Fiennes to have, “indulged her passion for delftware, which was presumably in part displayed in the 'Delft-Ware Closett.’” 

The Home Beautiful: The Summer Tile, 1881

Tile of "Summer"
Kate Greenaway, 1881
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the late Nineteenth Century, ceramic wall tiles were considered quite fashionable and the demand for them grew considerably, especially to be used  in conjunction with fireplaces since the new cast-iron grates that began to appear during this period were specifically designed to be set with tiles.  The tiles were fitted to metal panels that bolted onto the frame.  At the start of this trend, pictorial tiles with pastoral scenes were especially popular and, often, tiles with series of different scenes were used.

 

The invention of “dust-pressing,” which developed in the 1840s, aided the mass production of tiles.  The process allowed tiles to be formed by compacting powdered clay under high pressure in a screw-press. As many as 1,800 tiles a day—of a consistently high quality--could made on a single press, operated by two people.   The result was tiles which were much less prone to warping than earlier examples.

Here, we see a tile made in such a manner—in 1881.  It is one of a set of four tiles of the seasons. In this example, a woman is in her garden watering flowers, wearing a Japanese hairstyle and clothing.  The style of the figure on this tile is close in appearance to figures drawn by one Kate Greenaway (1846-1901)-- one of the most celebrated children's book illustrators of the period.   It is highly  likely to have been her work since she often lent her talents to especially commissioned tile pieces.