• Style/technique: Art nouveau tube
lined
• Manufacturer: Unattributed
• Dimensions: 3" x 6"
• Date: circa 1905
A fascinating art nouveau tube lined tile
with a generous flowerhead and whiplash leaves
at the base. Tube lined in brown with rich deep
red ground and green and orange leaves and
flower. The buff coloured clay serves to darken
the colours which gives an air of mystery, the
darker speckles in the clay show through and
create a mottle effect. As collectors of such
tiles will know they really come to life in
natural light - sunlight which absorbs and
reflects the colours, screens which emit light
and printing with its limited colour range can
not hold a candle to the excellence of the
original.
A most unusual clay body being grogged
fireclay yet apparently dust pressed due to the
lock rings. However the edges are undercut a
feature which as interested collectors will know
is not found on dust pressed tiles. This is an
indicator of quality and was done so that the
edges of the tiles would meet with the very
minimum of grout. This kind of clay is rarely
found dust pressed so perhaps it was plastic
clay pressed in to a mould.
