Encaustic Tiles Recognised for their intricate patterns that are inlaid, en- caustic tiles are made up of at least two (and up to six) colors of clay that comprise both the design and the body of the tile. So, unlike glazed or handpainted patterns, which sit on the surface, encaustic patterns are essential to the makeup of the tile and don’t wear away over time. Researched at Tiledevil.com Images found online of the original catalogue for Minton’s Victorian Tiles 1 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD “Deriving from a Greek word for ‘burnt in,’ encaustic tiles were notable for their inlaid, coloured patterns which were fixed during the firing process.” -Owen Jones By the 16th century, the fashion for inlaid tiles had passed but in the early years of the 18th century during the Gothic Revival architects found inspiration in the medieval tiles. The Gothic Revival stems from a Roman- Medieval Encaustic Tiles, tic revolution for the medieval times. Idyllic tales and Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire landscape paintings set in medieval England created a sense of nostalgia and taste for that period of time. HISTORY Encaustic floor tiles were first developed in England around the mid- dle of the 12th Century. The tiles were made in medieval England by Cistercian monks for the decoration of their places of worship. The earliest examples of those still remain at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, these were made of variously shaped interlocking tiles of different colours, much like a mosaic, but these were difficult to make and even more difficult to lay and they quickly disappeared in favour of inlaid or ‘encaustic’ tiles which were decorated with inlaid clays of different colours. This practice continued for some 400 years until the closure of the last monasteries, by Henry VIII, in 1540. 14th Century Medieval Encaustic Floor Tiles from the 14th-15th Century Each inlayed with a fleur-de-lys design from Bonhams Quoted from: Cathedral Communications,The Antique Floor Company and Craven Dunnill Jackfield 2 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD Examples of Gothic architecture: With soaring vaults and resplendent stained glass win- Cast iron shelf and window frame dows, Gothic architecture attempted to recreate a heav- Found online at House of Antique Hardware enly environment on earth. This architecture focused on the romantic and decorative qualities, without regard for structural possibilities or original function. Because the style differed immensely from classical art, it was frequently labeled barbaric. These medieval tiles left a trace of by-gone tile making, and it wasn’t until the Gothic Revival that the tiles went Gothic art, however, witnessed the birth of trade guilds; back into production. Several British architects and painters’ guilds and kept significant records of artists authors collected pattern designs found on medieval for the first time in history. During the Gothic period tiles and published them, leading to an interest in and cities grew and universities were founded making the demand for the reproduction of these tiles to restore Gothic movement a pivotal period in European history. church floors. Gothic architecture featuring commonly used quatrefoil (clover pattern) Found online at Widewalls.ch This was led by designer A. W. Pugin and Minton in Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire. By the 1860’s encaustic tiles were found in many of the worlds finest new public buildings including the Victoria and Albert museum. To the right: image of Victorian decorative brick copy antique terracotta wall tiles found online at brighthelm- stone.co.uk/ Image of encaustic tiles inside V&A found online at: vam.ac.uk Researched at: Arthistory.com/gothicart, Britannica/Gothic-Revival 3 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD TECHNIQUES Dust-pressing had also been developed for mak- In the ceramic industry, a market grew for tile making in public and ing wall and floor tiles in the 1840s, following an domestic buildings. Underglaze transfer was successfully developed 1842 patent taken out by Richard Prosser. In 1868, in 1784 by Josiah Spode which became immensely popular on blue- the first machines were capable of making dust- and-white ware as a cheaper alternative to delftware and Chinese pressed encaustic tiles. The system was complicated porcelain. After this, printed creamware tiles were made with trans- and employed separate fretted brass plates for each fer-printed designs in blue by Spode and Copeland. Unfortunately colour. Using the new machinery, it was possible to these transfer patterns would wear away quickly on floor tiles, leav- produce tiles with up to 8 different colours of clay. ing a plain surface. Encaustic tiles were a solution to this problem as the pattern is deep within the body of the tile. The Medieval technique of making encaustic tiles involved impressing a pattern in the unfired clay to a shallow depth using a carved wooden mould. The resulting indentations were filled with liquid clay, or slip, of contrasting colour. The tile body was usually of red clay with a white slip pattern. The designer A.W.N Pugin and Herbert Minton developed techniques for producing inlaid tiles in the medieval style, which went into production at Minton and Co. from the 1830s. The tiles were created by pressing malleable ‘plastic’ clay into a mould. The mould left impressions on the surface of the tile, which were then filled with coloured liquid clay before the tile was dried and fired at high temperature. Heraldic patterns were popular designs, and they were sometimes produced on commission. Minton tiles were also used extensively in the nineteenth- century renovation of medieval churches. Left: Illustration of tile making at Chamberlains of Worcester c.1840. Right: An early hand operated screw press c.1850 Images found online at: The Antique Floor Company 4 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD MINTON & CO. OPENS Minton’s patterns imitate medieval Mintons 1842 Catalogue of Early English Tile Patterns tiles and were ini- Found in The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones tially only used to restore church floors which had original medieval tiles. Initially these tiles were produced in two colours, either black, mustard or the natural terra- cotta clay colour. As seen on the right in St Mary’s Church, the technique devel- oped to include more than two colours, and include letters and various symbols designed especially for the church commission. Images top to bottom: St Marys Church online at Craven Dunnill Jackfield 2 encaustic tiles by Minton online at the-saleroom.com Minton tiled floors at the Church of St James, 1852 online at Minton Tiles 5 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD THE RISE TO FASHION Thier rise to fashion is evident by the 1890s as they had become an essential feature in the most ordinary Victo- rian terraced houses from Dover to Aberdeen. As well as adding prestige and colour to a Victorian hall or garden path, they were also remarkably practical. It is unlikely that Victorian builders gave much thought to the lifespan of such a feature and most domestic interior tiled floors have survived 100 years of wear and tear. With a little care, they will probably survive another 100 years. There can be few other floor finishes that offer such durability. In domestic spaces encaustic tiles are often found within a larger pattern of geometric tiles of different colours. Images found online at: Londonmosaic.com 6 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD 19TH CENTURY TECHNIQUES 2 HAND CARVING The plaster mould would then be carved, creating indentations of the negative space of the chosen pattern. 1 3 MOULD MAKING SLIP TRAILING This involves making tile moulds in plaster, Plastic clay is pressed into the mould, picking forming the clay into a crisp-edged square that up the carved indentions on the surface, once provides consistency in production. removed the indentations are filled with coloured slip using a slip trailer, creating a pattern deep Images found online at: Craven Dunnill Jackfield beneath the surface. 7 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD ENCAUSTIC PRODUCTION TODAY Cement and dust pressing Digital Transfers Image found online at Bert & May Tiles Image found online at ToppsTiles.co.uk This technique has become increasingly popular as a more af- Topps Tiles and many large scale producers in the UK produce fordable option which is much faster to produce and has incor- floor tiles with patterned transfers on them of a higher quality porated contemporary designs. Using fast setting cement dust and more durable than the ones initially produced by Spode. and marble powder, tiles produced this way take only a few Digitally produced transfers are relatively cheap to produce seconds to set. Using a metal frame, coloured slips are poured and apply, and while visual and interface graphic technology is into different compartments forming the pattern, before being growing this technique opens infinite scope for surface pattern. covered with dust and pressed. It seems that all of these are Patterns nowadays use a wider variety of colours in fitting with produced in different parts of Asia or Europe for cheaper labour trending interior design. than in the UK. 8 PERENNIAL GROUND EMILY BIRD.