A small 2.3m2 early art deco Belgian ceramic

A small 2.3m2+ / 24.8 sq ft Belgian ceramic encaustic floor with its original half size border. The principal field tiles are +/-15.8cm / 6.2 inches sq and the half size border, 16cm x 8cm. 

There are 75 field tiles and 40 half size borders.

These handmade tiles, which are reverse stamped ‘R’, were manufactured by Societe Anonyme Ceramiques Modernes Rebaix and we would date them as c.1918-1920, as the company started producing tiles of this size immediately after WW1, before moving to 14cm sq. tiles a little later.  In the photo gallery we have included a scan from a page in their period catalogue where in the top right panel the floor can be seen. The design is early art deco, as evidenced in the stylised dragonflies decorating the four corners of each tile. 

The tiles have cleaned well, as the high-resolution photographs of a randomly selected section of the floor shows in the gallery. Small edge nibbles and grout-able small chips are evident on what is an excellent ceramic 15mm thick. The palette is cool in shades of green, grey and white with charcoal piping. A highly fired tile it can be laid inside or outside of the home and will work efficiently with underfloor heating systems.

The original half size borders offered with the floor are optional.

NOTE This is a small floor which, if ordered in isolation, is likely to be uneconomical to ship by pallet but too heavy to be ship by courier, although we would be happy to provide a quote. 

NOTE
Antique tiles were most commonly made in single or two tile moulds. Before current computer automation methods their moulds were made my 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.