c.11.5m2 antique Belgian ceramic with back to back borders
In a cool palette of greys, charcoal, off-white and sky blue and now fully restored and ready to relay we present this antique Belgian ceramic of 16cm square tiles manufactured by Maufroid Freres et Soeur* .
The principal field tile offers up a pleasing geometric tessellation with faux cabochons in sky blue and amber. Beautifully framing the floor is an ornate and fluid same size border tile which can be laid singularly or as a double back to back lay, as we have shown in the photographs. The border has been cleverly designed to create the impression of the presence of two half size borders top and tailing a full size border.
The floor, recovered from the reception room of a town house in Gembloux, Belgium, has cleaned well revealing a quality ceramic and a pleasing patina where a small number of tiles display groutable edge nibbles or small chips. The high resolution photographs show a random section of around 1.25m2 of the floor. 7 border corner tiles have been recovered, all four internal corners and 3 external corners, although the missing corner can be mitre cut from a normal border tile.
Being a highly fired tile it can be laid inside or outside of the home, for example on a patio, in a conservatory, summer house or garden path as high summer and sub zero winter temperatures are not problematic. They will also work very efficiently with underfloor heating systems.
The floor totals c.11.5m2 / 125 sq ft.
Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-
FIELD - 330 tiles - 8.5m2 / 91 sq. ft
LARGE BORDER - 112 tiles plus 7 corners - 3m2 / 32.8 sq. ft. or 19 linear metres / 62 linear feet.
*The reverse of the tiles are stamped 'M' in inscription rings, identifying them as having been produced by Carrelages Céramiques de Chimay, Maufroid Freres & Soeur, Rue Poncet, Bourlers, Henegouwen, Belgium, who later became: S.A. La Céramique de Bourlers. Maufroid Freres et Soeur traded as such between 1879 and 1912, so the tiles were produced pre-1912 and are between 107 and 140 years old.
