Reduction Lustre Glazed Tiles

Lustre glazed tiles are ceramics at their most alchemical - an iridescent, metallic glow created through reduction firing, where oxygen is deliberately restricted so metallic compounds bond into the glaze as a thin, light-reactive film. With roots in early Islamic lustreware and a celebrated British revival through Arts and Crafts pioneer William De Morgan, lustre sits at the meeting point of ancient kiln knowledge and decorative artistry.

Lustre is typically achieved through a second, lower-temperature firing after the tile has already been glazed and fired once. In that reduced-oxygen atmosphere, the chemistry shifts and the surface develops its characteristic sheen - anything from soft gold and copper warmth to pearlescent or oil-slick tones, depending on the recipe, the kiln, and the hand of the maker.

This tradition was carried forward in the modern era by Margery Clinton (1931-2005), a specialist in reduction lustre glazes whose work helped keep this difficult craft alive. Originally trained as a painter at the Glasgow School of Art (1949-1953), she moved into ceramics in the 1960s and researched reduction lustres at the Royal College of Art in the early 1970s. She established her workshop at Newton Port in Scotland in 1978, later relocating to Dunbar, and became known for spectacular tile work and architectural commissions. Her work has been shown at institutions including the Tate, the V and A, Glasgow Art Gallery, and the Royal Museum of Scotland.

Within this subcategory, displaying lustre tiles is not just a design choice - it is a homage to Margery Clinton and to the lineage of makers, from De Morgan onward, who treat glaze as true transformation rather than mere surface decoration.