RARE - 15.5m2 to 16.5m2 Antique French Perrusson ceramic floor

This is one of four antique French ceramic floors reclaimed from the renovation of a bourgeois house close to Macon in the Saone-et-Loire department of Burgundy and totals between 15.5m2 and 16.5m2 (165 sq.ft and 177 sq. ft). 

The main field tile, themed around a blue and white flower on a mustard fond is anchored by stunningly detailed stem trellising on a burgundy fond. The overall effect when the tile is laid is a tessallation that is strongly geometric but subtly detailed.

The main field tile is framed by a flowing, vine leaf themed same sized border, which comes with all four of its border corner tiles and which uses the same warm palette. There are another 40 more geometrical cube themed borders additionally available with the floor which were used as connection pieces between rooms. These are optional and if taken will increase the floor surface area from 15.5m2 to 16.6m2+.

Ceramic encaustic, the tiles are all reverse stamped with a 9 dot motif and their manufacturer, 'Perrusson Ecluses'. 17.3cm square and c.15mm thick these are beautiful tiles; a good quality gres ceramic, a deep slip with crisp colours and offering stunning fine detail. Owing to the handmade nature of the tiles in two tile batches, there is some subtle variation across tiles in tones, all adding to their charm. The floor, which dates from the latter part of the 19th century, has cleaned well revealing an excellent ceramic and a beautiful patina where on a small number of tiles there are edge nibbles and small groutable chips. The high resolution photographs below are of a random section of c.1.5m2 of the floor and show the beauty of a rare antique tile of this heritage. We have included a scan from an antique Perrusson catalogue showing the optional cube themed border tiles.

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

Field tiles - 450 tiles - 13.5m2 / 145 sq ft

Large vine borders - 65 tiles plus 4 corners  - 2.1m2 / 22.6 sq ft. or 12 linear metres / 39.4 linear ft.

Large cube themed borders* - 40 tiles - 1.2m2 / 12.9 sq ft. or 6.9 linear metres / 22.6 linear ft.

Plus free tile reject offcuts.

* Optional to purchase

Ceramiques Perrusson, Ecluses

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. We have included some photographs below of the factory both recently and from the period  of its peak.

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.