Lady Oksana Goncharova

The set of four heraldic clay tiles I have done are based on a set of four tiles dating from 1481-1515. The original bears the arms of John Nailheart and Robert Eliot who were successively Abbots of St. Augustine’s, Bristol. They were especially designed for the St. Augustine Abbey Church, but copies were also distributed to other churches. This set was found in the Gloucester Cathedral. 1) My set has my arms and my husbands’ arms. They also bear our names and the year in the society that we were married.

Tile making was big business in the 12th to 15th centuries. Heraldic designs on tiles were used extensively in Medieval England. Wealthy patrons would commission the tiles for their household use. The tiles were specially made for the patron with their heraldic arms. Churches also commissioned the tiles. The churches would have arms of the Abbots as well as any wealthy benefactors. These heraldic tiles were found on floors as well as walls.2) The tiles average between four and five inches in width and approximately one inch thick. They were generally square. Some patterns were spread over several tiles, which were combined to make a single design.3)

There are three main tile-decorating techniques used in the heraldic tiles. The first is called monochromatic relief decoration. These were done by first carving a design into a wooden stamp the approximate size of the finished clay tiles. These stamps were then impressed into the wet clay tile. This left a relief or a counter-relief pattern on the tile depending on the carvings. They were then glazed in single colors or left unglazed.4) The second decorating technique was called, line impressed. These were done with multiple smaller stamps. Many stamps were used to complete the design. These also left a relief or counter-relief pattern and was done in single colors.5) The third design uses a two-color technique, commonly known as encaustic or inlaid tiles. This technique was by far the most popular decorating technique of that time period.6) Heraldic themes were common.

The inlaid technique was introduced in the mid 13th century. The initial design was done the same as the monochromatic decoration. A wooden stamp was made slightly smaller than the finished size of the tile and then impressed into the clay. After the stamping was done the depressed areas would be filled with slip (liquid clay). The clay tile was red earthenware clay and the slip was white clay. This gave a contrasting color. The inlaid tiles were then glazed with a clear glaze, unlike the other styles of decorations, which were glazed using colored glazes.

The inlaid technique was what I did with my set of four tiles. I used red, grogged earthenware clay. Grog is made from broken and ground fired pottery. Grog is an additive used by tilers to make the tile more durable, dry evenly and a deterrent against warpage. I added more grog to make the tiles less susceptible to warping. I rolled out my tile to approximately one inch thick. A six inch square template was then used to uniformly size the tiles.

Once the tiles are cut to the size of the template the wooden stamp is then impressed into the wet clay. I do not have wood carving abilities, so I carved out my design on to wet clay without using a stamp. I first drew a picture and then transferred the lines onto the wet clay using a sharp pointed object (pencil). I then carved out the depressions in the clay using a wire loop tool. The resulting impressions were filled with white slip. The Medieval tiler would scrape off the excess slip to reveal the red body underneath and leave the white design. They used a metal straight edge. I used a straight edge in combination with a sponge.

The tile was then dried slowly. The medieval tilers had drying sheds that they used to dry their tiles, complete with hearths to aid in the drying. I used a modern drying technique of putting plaster wallboard on the top and the bottom of the tile.7)This draws moisture from both sides at once, reducing the chance of the tile warping. A plastic bag is then placed over the wallboard and tile “sandwich”, to allow the tile to dry slowly.This was left in the bag for a week or so. Then the tile was placed on a metal rack open to the top and bottom and allowed to dry some more without the plastic bag on top.

Tilers in this time period usually fired their tiles once, bisque (the first firing) and glazing (second firing which affixes the color on the tile) in a wood fired kiln. I used an electric kiln to fire my tiles, as I don’t have access to a wood fired kiln. I did two firings, as it is somewhat toxic to fire all at once. Toxic fumes will escape the kiln during the firing. Also once firing has a higher rate of breakage. Two firings were also done in Medieval Italy during this time period,8) so I didn’t feel too bad about firing the tiles twice. Single firing has a higher risk, but was a fuel saver during the time period. Medieval tilers were firing hundreds of tiles, if they lost one here and there, no problem. After bisque firing the tiles, I then glazed the tiles with a clear non-lead glaze and then returned the tile to the kiln for a second (glaze) firing. The clay bodies in England contain iron; as a result the clear lead glaze turned yellow over the white clay and brown over the red body.9) To compensate for using the lead free clear glaze, I used a yellow slip as oppsoed to a white slip. The yellow slip was used to simulate the lead glaze over the white clay slip.

Bibliography

Betts, Ian, Medieval Westminster Floor Tile, Museum of London, 2002.

Eames, Elizabeth S., English Tilers, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo, 1992.

Giorgini, Frank, Handmade Tiles, Lark Books, 1994.

Hook, Moira and Arthur Macgregor, Medieval England, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1997.

Piccolopasso, Cipriano, I Tre Libri Dell’ Arte Del Vasaio, 1524-1579, (The Three Books of the Potter’s Art), (2 Volumes), A Facsimile of the Manuscript in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Translated and Introduced by Ronald Lightbown and Alan Caiger-Smith, Scholar Press, 1980.

Saunders, Peter and Eleanor, editors, Medieval Catalogue Part 1, Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, 1991.

Van Lemmen, Hans, Decorative Tiles Throughout the Ages, Moyer Bell, 1997.

Van Lemmen, Hans, Medieval Tiles, Shire Publications Ltd., 2000.