MEDIEVAL TILE

1250

Approximately half of a medieval decorative floor tile, dating from the 13th to 14th centuries. The tile would have originally been square and would have been one of a large mosaic of tiles, popular during this period in wealthy houses and ecclesiastical buildings. The tile has had a pattern stamped into the clay which was then filled with a thin white clay. This was baked and then covered with a thin lead glaze, giving the tile its distinctive yellow and brown colour scheme. These tiles were reproduced during the 19th century but this tile does not appear to be such a reproduction. The clay of the tile has not fully oxidised, due to uneven or too-short a time in the oven, resulting in a grey core. The fabric of the tile contains small white stone inclusions as well as flecks of iron - the clay for this tile may have come from the Thames Valley area where iron flecks are common in ceramic fabric. The design on the tile appears to consist of a Fleur-de-lys above a larger, possible interlace pattern and is bounded by a thick sub-circular line. Only a small portion of the original slip now survives and the break is modern, suggesting the remainder of the tile is close to where this fragment was recovered.