9.25m2 of handmade French Perrusson tiles c.1905
A quality handmade French ceramic reclaimed from a house built in 1905 close to Chatillon-en-Bazois in the Nievre department of Burgundy, France, now fully restored and arriving ready to relay.
The floor was manufactured by Perrusson et Fils, Ecuisses in Saone-et-Loire, France and the 17.2cm sq / 6 3/4 inch tiles, 15mm thick and a kilo each in weight, are reverse stamped in the Perrusson frame.
The floor totals 9.25m2 / 99.5 sq. ft. in surface area.
Strongly geometrical in design, the palette embraces off-white, bordeaux, teal, mid grey and charcoal and owing to their handmade production in small batches there is some tonal variation in the slip colour, all adding to the floors charm. This can be seen with the teal edging towards a sea green in a small number of tiles, as shown in a photograph of four tiles together, and the difference in the bordeaux of the border corner tile, again shown in a separate photograph. The high resolution photographs are of a random section of the floor, so representative of the whole. The ceramic is excellent, the tiles have cleaned well and the patina is rich and antique with some tiles displaying small groutable chips or edge nibbles. There are only 29 large borders, along with all 4 of their large border corners, providing for a border tile length of 5.8 linear metres / 19 linear feet. Additionally there are 280 principal field tiles, totalling 8.3m2 / 89 sq. ft. We include some free reject tiles, both field and borders, that can be used for cuts by the tiler.
The ceramic was highly fired and, as a consequence, can be laid inside or outside of the home as well as working efficiently with underfloor heating systems.
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 son and 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.
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. 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.
