Tile thumbnail 1
Tile thumbnail 2

Tile

ca. 1332-1350 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The 14th century saw the development of larger scale commercial tileworks, such as the major factory operating at Penn in Buckinghamshire. There, roof tiles and inlaid floor tiles were made from about 1332 until at least 1388. Penn supplied its products along the Thames Valley as far as London, and numerous churches and important buildings in the region were paved with their tiles. This example comes from Reading Abbey.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Earthenware, with inlaid decoration
Brief description
Red earthenware impressed with a design of a hare and foliage infilled with white clay. The whole covered with a clear lead glaze. From Reading Abbey in Berkshire. English (Penn, Buckinghamshire), about 1332 to 1350.
Physical description
Floor tile of red earthenware with inlaid decoration in pale slip, depicting a rabbit amid gothic foliate motifs.
Dimensions
  • Width: 11.7cm
  • Weight: .590kg
  • Height: 11.8cm
  • Depth: 2.2cm
Gallery label
(2010 (TAB))
Floor tile from Reading Abbey in Berkshire, Penn, Buckinghamshire, 1332 to 1350
Object history
From Reading Abbey. Formerly Edkins Collection.

In 1892 a large group of tiles was bought from Mrs. E. Edkins, the widow of William Edkins. Her husband had been a builder, who worked all over the west of England and many of his tiles came from buildings with which he had been involved.

Numbers 920 to 1435-1892 were bought from Mrs. E. Edkins. All were bought for £125.
Production
From Reading Abbey in Berkshire
Subject depicted
Summary
The 14th century saw the development of larger scale commercial tileworks, such as the major factory operating at Penn in Buckinghamshire. There, roof tiles and inlaid floor tiles were made from about 1332 until at least 1388. Penn supplied its products along the Thames Valley as far as London, and numerous churches and important buildings in the region were paved with their tiles. This example comes from Reading Abbey.
Bibliographic reference
Graves, Alun. Tiles and Tilework of Europe. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, fig 1.17, p20.
Collection
Accession number
1330-1892

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Record createdNovember 24, 2003
Record URL
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