20.5m2 French Perrusson ceramic floor, beautiful patina 1910

Reclaimed from the reception room of house close to the city of Autun in Burgundy, now fully restored and arriving ready to relay, an antique French ceramic with its original border tiles.

Strongly geometric in design with overtones of English Victorian hallway tiling design the floor consists of a principal field tile and its original same size borders, with all four border corner pieces present. The tiles are 17cm square, 15mm thick and were manufactured in the Saone et Loire department of Burgundy by Perrusson et Fils, Ecuisses in 1910. The palette includes bordeaux, charcoal, mid grey, sky blue and white and owing to their handmade production in units of two there is some variation in both colour tones as well as ocassionally in the detail of the design whereby the lines of triangles or squares may not be perfectly straight. Along with the presence on some tiles of small chips and groutable edge nibbles this all adds to the conclusion that each tile is unique and delivers a beautiful antique patina as a consequence.

On some tiles we have taken photographs of there is the impression there is surface wear but this is not the case, it is simply the result of the amount of slip entered into the mould at the production stage. The tiles have no surface wear and are in very good condition, they are an excellent ceramic weighing more than a kilo each. 

The total surface area is 20.5m2 / 220 sq ft.

The high resolution photographs in the gallery show a random samples of c.1.5m2 / 15 sq ft of the floor.

A highly fired tile they can be laid inside or outside of the home. We think outside of the home they would be an impressive entrance path to a period property.

Tile quantities, give to take one or two:-

Field tiles - 592 - 17.3m2 / 186 sq ft.

Large border tiles - 105 plus 4 corner tiles - 3.1m2 / 33.75 sq ft. or 18 linear metres / 59 linear feet.

Perrusson - a brief history...
Jean-Marie Perrusson was not only known for ceramic tile production but also for the production of bricks and roof tiles. Many of the lozenge themed terracotta mechanical tiles in Burgundy bear the Perrusson hallmark. He built his first brick making factory in 1860 and started mechanical tile production in 1863, to which he added a workshop for manufacturing ceramic tiles in 1875. Further expansion of the ceramic tile production in the Saône-et-Loire was initiated (in Saint-Julien-sur-Dheune in 1866, St. Pantaleon 1870), and even beyond the department (in Sancoins Cher in 1870 and Fontafié in Charente in 1878).

The company was renamed ‘Perrusson fils et Desfontaines’ in 1890 and the factory also manufactured architectural ceramics and statues. In April 1960 the factory finally closed its doors. The vast majority of the original buildings constructed in 1890/1900 are destroyed with the offices, changing rooms of the factory, the concierge and the electrical workshop the only significant remnants of the site that can still be seen.

The Perrusson factory employed 40 workers in 1860, 80 by 1874, 130 in 1890, 300 at its peak in 1900, 280 in 1930 and 130 during 1945 to 1950.

We include some photographs of the original factory, now long closed.

Owing to their beautiful ceramic creations the Perrusson family became wealthy and built a large villa close to their Production. The villa was decorated internally and externally with the many fine examples of their work, from roof tiles and chimney pots to faience, floor tiles and more. Indeed, these tiles can be seen in a display area of the villa. Sadly, with the passage of time, the villa became derelict and was eventually purchased and restored by the French state as it remains an outstanding architectural statement of some of the finest ceramic work of the period. It can be visited for a small entrance fee and we include some photographs of the restored villa and a link can be found here to the Perrusson Villa website.​ 

Both the main field tile and the border tile for this floor can be seen in a photograph we have included of a presentation of tiles in the Perrusson Villa.