A regal, French ceramic - to 78m2 / 840 sq. ft - c.1881-1900

A magnificent statement of design and quality from one of Europe's greatest ceramic producers, these rare handmade French tiles were manufactured by Carrelages Ceramiques Boch Freres Maubeuge, Nord, France between 1881 and 1900. 17cm square principal field and border tiles, weighing 1.4kgs / 3lbs each, they have restored beautifully, arriving ready to relay. 

The floor, which totals an impressive surface area of 78m2* / 840 sq ft, has been reclaimed from a church in the suburbs of Brussels, Belgium.

*There could be the possibility to sell a section of the floor, as long as the ratio of border tiles to field tiles in an order stays at its current ratio. A minimum order possible would be 15m2 / 160 sq ft.

Owing to their original setting the scale is impressive and the triple border tiles framing the floor total 51cm/ 20 inches in width. The principal field tiles, embracing a mid-grey gothic influenced motif opening up in a four tile tessellation. All of the tiles have been produced with a surface relief. In respect of the lay configuration these tiles are framed by a triple laid border series of two band themed tiles which separate a fluid scroll themed red border for which there are actually two different tiles, one left and one right facing in design. 

The tiles are in excellent condition, small numbers display small defaults like edge nibbles and small chips but all are groutable and the section taken, photographed and included in the gallery are of a random section representative of the total floor. Included in the gallery are scans from the period Boch Freres catalogues in our possession showing the tiles as they were presented in the late 19th and early 20th century and we also include some photographs from inside the church showing the floor pre-lifting and restoring.

The total surface area of the church was over 800m2 / 8,600 sq ft with this specific floor covering c.10% of the area. In addition to this floor, another exquisite Boch Freres floor has been reclaimed from the church and totals 81m2 / 872 sq ft. Details of the floor can be found if you click here.

This is a large, rare, handmade ceramic ideally suited domestically to a fine Maison Maitre but opportunities also exist for it to be a statement piece in a restaurant, hotel or retail environment. We can also assist in looking at the potential lay of the floor in your chosen area(s) with the production of computerised floor plans.

Tile quantities, give or take one or two:-

FIELD TILES – 1,875 tiles – 54.2m2 / 583.4 sq ft

LARGE Plain-grey BORDERS - 525 tiles plus 2 internal and 11 external corners – 15.5m2 / 166.8 sq ft. – 89.2 linear metres / 292.8 linear ft.

LARGE Red-scroll BORDERS - 294 tiles (147 left, 147 right) plus 2 corners – 8.24m2 / 88.7sq ft. – 49.3 linear metres / 161.6 linear ft.

NOTE
Antique tiles were most commonly made in single or two tile moulds. Before current computer automation methods their moulds were made by hand and the colour slips mixed by eye. Kiln temperatures could also be variable, as could the firing time. The result is that often tiles display subtle size and thickness variations and there can be tonal variations in colours, owing to the slip mixing and/or firing time. All of this makes these handmade tiles unique and adds to their charm. Some floors display their subtle variations in size and tones, some not, but when photographing we always take a random section of the floor so that it is representative of the whole. A tiler should always dry lay a section of the tiles to familiarise himself with them before starting to fix lay.