A small c.2.5m2 antique French ceramic in an English Gothic tradition

In a warm palette of terracotta and mustard a reclaimed French ceramic encaustic tile, influenced in design by the English gothic revival tradition.

These 14.3cm sq tiles were produced in Maubeuge, northern France in the early part of the twentieth century by Manufactures Ceramiques de Maubeuge.

The tiles have cleaned very well, some displaying some tonal variations in the terracotta colour owing to their handmade production in small batches. There are some with edge nibbles, small groutable chips but this is a warm and detailed floor that will be the hero in its period setting.

c.2.5m2 / 27 sq. ft. available

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.