Tile
ca. 1160 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Twelfth-century floor tiles with decoration in high relief are known from sites in England, the Alsace region of France, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Among the earliest is a group of tiles from the chapter house of St Albans Abbey, dating from about 1160. The floor was laid out in a series of panels edged with border tiles like this example. This layout perhaps guided processional movement around the building.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware, with decoration in relief |
| Brief description | Tile fragment of red earthenware with decoration of interlacing stems and frond-like foliage in relief; the whole covered with a yellowish clear glaze. From St. Alban's Abbey, Hertfordshire. English, about 1160. |
| Physical description | Tile fragment of red earthenware with decoration of interlacing stems and frond-like foliage in relief; the whole covered with a yellowish clear glaze. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mr. R. Garraway Rice, F.S.A |
| Object history | From the Chapter House, St Albans Abbey. |
| Historical context | See also the tiles found at Hertford Priory and Wymondham Priory, both of whom were dependents of St Alban's. |
| Production | From the Chapter House of St Alban's Abbey in Hertfordshire. |
| Summary | Twelfth-century floor tiles with decoration in high relief are known from sites in England, the Alsace region of France, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Among the earliest is a group of tiles from the chapter house of St Albans Abbey, dating from about 1160. The floor was laid out in a series of panels edged with border tiles like this example. This layout perhaps guided processional movement around the building. |
| Bibliographic reference | Graves, Alun. Tiles and Tilework of Europe. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, fig 1.2, p9. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.66-1933 |
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| Record created | November 21, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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