Tile

Object Type
The demand for wall tiles increased rapidly in the later 19th century. One of the most popular uses of tiles was in conjunction with fireplaces. While tiles had been used in this way for centuries, the new cast-iron grates that began to appear in this period were specifically designed to be set with tiles, which were fitted to metal panels that bolted onto the frame. Pictorial tiles were especially popular for this purpose, and many series of picture tiles were produced.

Production Methods
The mass production of tiles was greatly facilitated by the invention of dust-pressing in the 1840s. In this process tiles were formed by compacting powdered clay under high pressure in a screw-press. As many as 1,800 tiles a day could made on a single press, operated by two people. As well as increasing the speed with which tiles could be made, dust-pressing also ensured that a consistently high-quality product was achieved, much less prone to warping. The perfect regularity of this example is typical of tiles made in this way.

Style
The style of decoration of this tile can be associated with the style known as Aestheticism. Prevalent in the 1870s and 1880s, this movement in the painting and the applied arts placed great value on beauty and decoration. Japanese art had a considerable influence on the style, as this tile shows.