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Memorial tile
Minton & Co. - Enlarge image
Memorial tile
- Place of origin:
Stoke-on-Trent, England (made)
- Date:
1861 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Minton & Co. (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Stoneware, with encaustic (inlaid) decoration
- Credit Line:
Given by Mr John Scott
- Museum number:
C.14-1999
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 125b, case 1
Object Type
Inlaid tiles, often known as 'encaustic tiles', have decoration inlaid into their surface using contrasting coloured clay. They were produced in large quantities from the mid-19th century, primarily for use in floors. Such tile pavements were frequently laid in churches. However, inlaid tiles were also occassionally used to decorate various forms of church monument. Memorial tiles, such as this example, were set directly into graveyard monuments or into the walls of the church.
Materials & Making
Inlaid tiles were formed in plaster moulds, which carried the decoration of the tile in relief. When removed from the mould, the impressions that were produced in the tile surface would be filled with the contrastingly coloured clay. The use of moulds facilitated the mass production of such tiles. It is therefore slightly surprising that the technique should be used for the manufacture of memorial tiles such as this, which were clearly one-offs. The finished tiles were, however, extremely durable, and thus well suited to their function.
