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Information email How to order FAQ Please click on an image for a larger view, details and pricing information, pages will open in a new window. Most large images are full size at 72 dpi, larger images are available if required for closer inspection before ordering. We may have more of a particular pattern/series than shown as it is not always possible to list all together. Please ask if you require several matching tiles, more than 4 or 5 in very good or better condition is unusual. For order, contact and other information please use the links at the top or bottom of the page. Click thumbnails for large pictures, information and prices
	This group of tiles came from a mantelpiece that is built in to the mantelpiece, the furniture, and not between the mantelpiece and the fire. Deeply recessed within heavy duty moulding they were well protected from environmental stresses furthermore the fireplace was in a bedroom and rarely used and so the condition is quite outstanding for such a large group of tiles.

 

 

Eight Inch Tiles Most eight inch square tiles were made from around 1870 to around 1890, outside of these dates they were rarely seen. Being larger tiles they offered more scope to artists, a larger 'canvas', so a greater proportion than 6" x 6" tiles are handpainted but other different from the norm techniques are underrepresented.

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Handpainting is one of the oldest processes for decorating tiles probably only predated by incised decoration. Late 19thC and Edwardian handpainted tiles were likely not decorated by the company whose mark is on the back of the tiles, many companies sold unglazed tiles to other manufacturers who would decorate and often apply their own mark most often painted through a stencil. There was also a reasonably well developed industry in tile decorating and furniture makers may have used the services of a local artist, pottery or art studio. Tile decorators of the time would often buy in plain white tiles and decorate with enamels, in the late Victorian era it was popular to decorate plain tiles and it was a recognised pastime for well to do ladies. There were even books of patterns suitable for tiles and books published for home schooling although it seems that most were copied from illustrated romantic novels of the time. Enamel decorated tiles enabled a much wider range of colours although not being protect by a high-fire glaze they are more prone to wear. Some companies openly copied designs by other companies, copyright only lasting for three years back then. Relatively few tiles were handpainted under glaze due to the range of colours available that were able to withstand the kiln temperatures required to melt the glaze, enamel colours were baked on to the glaze surface at lower temperatures. The tiles of W B Simpson and W T Copeland are especially outstanding for their range of brilliant underglaze colours. The colours when applied would be very different from those after firing so the artists had to have a greater understanding of the medium than enamel painters and especially watercolour painters whose colours were very similar from application to finished item. Monograms or signatures imply that a major company didn't decorate the tile as major manufacturers rarely permitted artists to identify their works, usually only when the artist's name was so well known that it would add value and assist in the sale of the tile. Often in a set some will be signed and others not, artists tend to sign works they are most happy with and leave the lesser works unsigned. As tiles may have been purpose made for a particular project like fitting in to furniture numbering on the back is common so that the furniture maker would fit the tiles in the specified postition. Many handpainted tiles by major manufacturers and the art potters were not freehand painted, there was some sort of an outline for the artist to follow. The usual process of a transfer print coloured in is well known but the outline could have been applied in a number of ways using carbon (soot or charcoal) which would then burn away in the firing leaving no evidence of its existence. This carbon outline could have been pouncing with carbon dust through a stencil, smoked through a stencil or applied by transfer print (carbon printing was invented in 1855), it may also have been sketched in charcoal. Another method was to paint on to transfer paper rather than the tile, this was done by laying a sheet of translucent transfer paper over a pattern and painting on to it. This painted transfer paper was then applied to the clay tile and when fired the paper would burn away. The tile could even be glazed over the paper in which case the colours tended to migrate in to the glaze rather than attach to the clay giving a softer outline. No doubt other methods were used too, casting a outline in light on the tile rather like how an overhead projector works is a fairly obvious method and the victorian tile makers were very innovative in their decorating techniques. Handpainted tiles vary from fine art quality, limited editions in modern designs (especially by London tile decorators like Doulton's Art Pottery and Shrigley and Hunt and W Yale from Stoke) to somewhat naive but brightly coloured tiles for example as made by The Decorative Art Tile Co.
Barbotine is an Arts & Crafts process whereby moulded tiles may be hand made, the relief being built up by painting on the designs in coloured slip. It has more in common with original majolica than most other victorian majolica wares but it is not generally recognised how innovative barbotine tiles were in the marketplace, they didn't compete with typical moulded majolica tiles, they predated them. Prior to their advent there were essentially only three types of tiles available, printed and painted flat tiles and moulded majolica in opaque glazes on coloured clays, when barbotine hit the market around 1885 they were totally new and startlingly different to all other offerings. Other manufacturers tried to copy them using mechanical processes, ie moulded 'modern majolica' but it took a few years of pretty poor efforts before reasonable quality and a range of colours even equal to barbotine was achieved. Colours for the barbotine process were limited partly because clay fires at a higher temperatures than glaze so less stable colours burn off during firing nevertheless what appears to us today to be a limited range of colours wasn't so in 1885. It is presumed that the vast majority of barbotine tiles were made in the period 1885 - 1890 by which time many of the technological hinderances to the production of dust pressed 'modern majolica' tiles had been overcome. There may have been an outline for the artist to follow which has disappeared in the manufacturing process - see handpainted above. Several companies made barbotine tiles but only Sherwin & Cotton produced a large range, they continued to make them in to the 20thC but art nouveau examples are very rare. Occassionally barbotine tiles are found with coloured glazes, these tended to be softer and more prone to scratches indeed when Mintons China Works introduced their brilliant persian turquoise glaze around 1873 they noted that tiles so glazed were "not suitable for hearths" and this warning remained in the catalogue until the 1890s. With the barbotine colours being in the clay and under a clear glaze a more durable quality glaze could be used.
Marsden's Patent, or 'Patent Impressed' (on Wedgwood tiles) are the two brands most associated with stencilled slip tiles. This is essentially the same as Barbotine but with the slip clays applied through stencils, sometimes one but usually several. Wedgwood are the best known user of the process and indeed sold more designs with the process than any other, Marsden Tile Co, Lea, Malkin and the Jackfield companies Maw and Craven Dunnill also are known to have used the process. In common with barbotine and early majolica tiles they had a restricted range of colours and more often than not a coloured clay was used to increase the range as was on occasion a coloured glaze. As with barbotine a more durable clear glaze could be used.
'Applied Encaustic', is a mechanical decorating process apparently used only by the western companies Maw & Co, Craven Dunnill and Godwins. Different coloured clays were applied moulded to the tile body to give detailed relief and then coated with a highly translucent glaze, rather like an updated version of sprigging* for dust pressed clay. Typically red, buff and white clays were used with olive or turquoise glazes, the clay colours would show through but be tempered by the overlying glaze. For example as seen to the right a translucent olive green glaze would give olive green on the white clay, mid brown on the buff clay and dark brown on the reddish clay and and another of similar colours of clay with a turquoise glaze. As all the colours are in the clay and hence very stable and a higher temperature and better quality glaze could be used making for very durable tiles. *Sprigging is when a small mould is made for the decoration which then has clay pressed in to it and is then applied to the piece. Mostly used for pottery decoration and famously Wedgwood's early Jasperware.
Émaux Ombrants describes a certain type of monochrome moulded tiles and is mostly associated with George Cartlidge particularly his portrait tiles. It produces an almost magical effect rather like a hologram in that the image is three dimensional but the surface of the tile is virtually flat. Rather than the glaze being thinner over raised parts of the design the glaze was thicker and the colour deeper on indented parts of the design. The name gives this away as best translated from the French it means 'enamelled shadows'. The original sculpting of the mould, quality of clay and its pressing were important factors in the creation of this decorative effect however the glaze formulation and its application and handling were paramount. The glaze had to be both of extremely high translucency and strength of colour which on the face of it are irreconcilable aims and have very low viscosity so that it would flow into the hollows. Once these material criteria had been achieved the glaze had to be applied very consistently and the tile had to be perfectly level in the kiln as minimal pooling of the glaze would vastly increase its colour strength. As glaze formulation is the main criteria colours were limited, at first to a narrow range of browns, greens and blues.
Tube Lined is a raised slip outline applied like icing a cake and the areas created filled with majolica glazes, moulded is made in a press with a die to make the outline of the pattern. Tube line was used for murals and special orders because it was less expensive than moulding in small quantities and for samples. Not only was it expensive in the decorating but initially the tile body had to be made from plastic clay as on dust pressed clay the line did not adhere well, similar to early barbotine tiles. The raised outline was usually in a stained slip, most often brown or green, coloured slip was used because otherwise the outline would shine bright and detract from the glazes creating more of a simplistic cartoon-like effect especially with darker glaze colours. Richards at times tried to avoid this on white clay moulded designs by overpainting the outline in black stain, see the 'triple tulip' example alongside. Rarely two colours of outline are used where parts of the outline are intended to blend in and others stand out - see the rose tile alongside. There may have been an outline for the decorator to follow which has disappeared in the manufacturing process - see handpainted above. The high raised outline contained the glazes helping to prevent them bleeding and reacting with each other so that the newly available more adventurous glazes could be used. The range of colours found on tube line tiles is usually greater than on dust pressed majolica tiles and they became fashionable art objects that expressed modernity at the height of the affluence of the British Empire in the Edwardian era. These highly fashionable tiles were made in limited quantities and at a premium price, approximately double that of otherwise similar moulded majolica tiles. Tube lined designs were often fairly simple, this is not a criticism rather the technique was used to demonstrate the flow of line and brilliance of glazes that the outline enabled. Clearly an outline design can not reach the complexity of a moulded design with all the tones achievable by embossed and indented moulding but a moulded design can not achieve the clarity and brilliance of often technichally conflicting glaze colours that the outline enabled. Tube line is a much misused phrase, ordinary majolica tiles are often described as tube line when they clearly are not. Tube line is also sometimes called slip trailed* which is not really correct but perhaps helps to picture the process in action. Sometimes it can be difficult to spot and there are examples of errors in the literature, in Lockett the 'tube line' tile on page 130 is moulded and many Carter Poole tiles called slip trailed* as in for example Poole Pottery by Leslie Hayward are in fact moulded. Some subsequent publications have many more errors indeed as time goes by it seems they increase. There was some confusion in edwardian times too but then people assumed that tube line tiles were moulded, Alfred Meakin often used a 'tube lined' rubber stamp on the back of their tiles just to be sure people knew. Here's a quick checklist of how to spot tube line tiles, On tube line tiles the outline will usually be in a dark colour, stained brown or green, if the raised outline shows through the glazes as white/very light, the coour of the clay biscuit, the tile is unlikely to be tube line Exceptions: (1) If the background glaze colour or substantial parts of the design are white or very light (2) The raised line is not just an outline but rather an integral part of the design, like a slender stem, and therefore intended to contrast against a darker background colour If the background is moulded at all it is most unlikely to be tube line. Exceptions: incredibly rare If the back has moulded (embossed or indented) pattern numbers or design registration numbers it will not be tube line. Exceptions: none that I have ever seen. * In slip trailing the slip is the actual decoration rather than being a narrow outline that forms the boundaries between areas of different colours as in tube line. Slip trail is in a contrasting colour to the background and there are often just two colours in the piece, the background and the slip. There are a few coloured art nouveau examples but they are rare (Blanchett shows a four tile panel on page 525). Search for images using the terms: slip trailed plate - plate produces more accurate results than for tile! The slip is usually trailed using a quill, search for text: slip trail quill.
Lustre is rarely found on tiles or indeed any other pottery because the effect is on the very surface of the glaze and easily damaged thus rather defeating the raison d'être of ceramic wares and in particular tiles which are meant to be durable. The process relied on a reaction between the atmosphere in the kiln and the on-glaze stain, carbon and/or hydrocarbons were introduced in to the kiln to burn off the oxygen in the metal oxides that the stains were composed of thus leaving a smattering of reflective metal on the surface. The difficulty and unpredictability of the process also means that rather more faulty lustre tiles were accepted as saleable and they were vastly more expensive than tiles by other techniques, in the order of eight times more expensive than other handpainted tiles of the day. The process has been known about for millenia and over time has had brief periods of relative popularity never really catching on because a brand new object would soon be scratched and worn if used. Its use was therefore mostly restricted to purely ornamental objects and often three dimensional so that the lustre could be appreciated. It is quite unlikely that the process has been lost and redicovered many times, it's just not that suitable a process for decorating objects that will be handled frequently as most ceramic wares are. William de Morgan & Co are the best known name for lustre tiles and on occasion produced some fantastic multicolour lustre tiles. Soon, probably just a matter of months, after William de Morgan's lustre tiles gained popularity through Morris & Co's marketing Maw & Co made lustre tiles. They together with their near neighbours Craven Dunnill and the Welsh company J C Edwards produced the best manufacturing quality lustre tiles in the more usual copper (red) and silver (gold) colours. Edwards lustre tiles however may have been made by Maws, they certainly share some of the same patterns. By far the greatest majority of lustres found are red, not because the lustre was at first considered particularly desirable but because it was the only way in the 1870s and 1880s to produce a really good red. Viewed directly on, and in most situations where tiles would be fitted, the lustre is not visible but the amazing richness of the colour is. In order to see the lustrous effect the path of light from its source to the eye must be aligned just so with the tile, where most tiles are fitted below eye level in furniture, dados etc it is impossible to catch the lustre. Due to their lack of durability they were not recommended for use in fireplaces however on occasion they were so used although usually slabbed or fixed to 'inglenook' walls well separated from the fire. Other wares were also unsuited for fixing where they would be more subject to wear, a range of brilliant persian turquoise glazed tiles were made by Mintons China Works and they declare in their catalogue, "these are not suitable for hearths". In traditional british cast iron fireplaces where the tiles were fitted at an angle close to the fire and viewed from a seated position lustre tiles would have shown the effect to its best being able to catch the reflection of the light from the flames (the light source being nearly at floor level) but due to durability concerns they were rarely used in such situations. During the twentieth century with continued innovation in glaze formulation and kiln technology lustre tile manufacture became more reliable and the range of colours increased dramatically.

 

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