Medieval Heraldic & Bestiary Tiles
These medieval ceramic tiles involve skilled mastery of clay, glaze and the delicate firing process. At the time of Thibaut IV, the great medieval fairs of Champagne helped decorative tilemaking travel through Christian Europe. Alluvial clays gave craftsmen material for engraved-looking surfaces in cathedrals and noble houses, populated by heraldic devices, farm and forest creatures, vines and geometry. De Ferranti has also developed a marbled tile influenced by this period.
After tile declined in northern Europe following the Roman period, production revived during the second half of the 12th century in Germany, France and Britain, while Moorish Spain already sustained an advanced industry. Locally produced ceramic was less costly than marble, yet skilled manufacture and installation still made tiled pavements expressions of wealth, patronage and ecclesiastical authority.
Tilemaking was seasonal. Clay was dug in winter, weathered, then shaped and fired in drier months. Travelling tilers often worked near building sites because finished tiles were heavy to transport. Kilns of brick, waste tile and clay reached about 1,000°C without temperature gauges, so experience, fuel and local materials produced natural differences between batches.
Decoration included high-relief, counter-relief and line-impressed tiles, geometric mosaics and two-colour inlaid work. Byland Abbey preserves a notable 12th-century mosaic pavement, St Albans Abbey yielded relief tiles, and Cleeve Abbey retains inlaid examples. The Tring Tiles, dating from about 1330, show that narrative ceramics also appeared on walls. Inlaid tile probably developed in early 13th-century France and spread to Britain, Ireland and the Low Countries. During the Victorian Gothic Revival it became widely, though inaccurately, known as encaustic tile.
The Heraldic Creature Quatrefoil, Lion Roundel, Three Hares Roundel and Terracotta and Cream Marbled Tile adapt this history as accents, panels or repeating compositions.
For project guidance, availability, pricing, samples or further information, please contact us. Your enquiry will come directly to De Ferranti, and we will be pleased to discuss suitability, quantities, lead times and options for your project.
Medieval Ceramic Tiles in European Art and Craft
After tile declined in northern Europe following the Roman period, production revived during the second half of the 12th century in Germany, France and Britain, while Moorish Spain already sustained an advanced industry. Locally produced ceramic was less costly than marble, yet skilled manufacture and installation still made tiled pavements expressions of wealth, patronage and ecclesiastical authority.
Tilemaking was seasonal. Clay was dug in winter, weathered, then shaped and fired in drier months. Travelling tilers often worked near building sites because finished tiles were heavy to transport. Kilns of brick, waste tile and clay reached about 1,000°C without temperature gauges, so experience, fuel and local materials produced natural differences between batches.
Decoration included high-relief, counter-relief and line-impressed tiles, geometric mosaics and two-colour inlaid work. Byland Abbey preserves a notable 12th-century mosaic pavement, St Albans Abbey yielded relief tiles, and Cleeve Abbey retains inlaid examples. The Tring Tiles, dating from about 1330, show that narrative ceramics also appeared on walls. Inlaid tile probably developed in early 13th-century France and spread to Britain, Ireland and the Low Countries. During the Victorian Gothic Revival it became widely, though inaccurately, known as encaustic tile.
The Heraldic Creature Quatrefoil, Lion Roundel, Three Hares Roundel and Terracotta and Cream Marbled Tile adapt this history as accents, panels or repeating compositions.
Project Guidance and Enquiries
For project guidance, availability, pricing, samples or further information, please contact us. Your enquiry will come directly to De Ferranti, and we will be pleased to discuss suitability, quantities, lead times and options for your project.
By Appointment
DE FERRANTI
South Park Studios - Suite 10
88 Peterborough Road, London SW6 3HH
United Kingdom
DE FERRANTI
South Park Studios - Suite 10
88 Peterborough Road, London SW6 3HH
United Kingdom