Ceramic tile is not popular in construction only in our time, but it has been used since centuries ago both in Europe and Asia. In fact, the history of using this valuable, luxurious stuff is so long and deserve much consideration. Early in the 16th century, the Italian maiolica technique spread to Northern Europe. For the Salle d'Honneur at Chateau d'Ecouen, close to Paris, Masseot Abaquesne of Rouen created polychrome maiolica floor tiles in 1542 that included the Montmorency arms. Guido di Savino, an Italian potter, moved to Antwerp, Flanders, from Castel Durante in Northern Italy, and by 1513, he had established a thriving maiolica workshop there. He most likely provided the exquisite polychrome pictorial floor tiles that can still be seen in the chapel of The Vyne, a Tudor manor near Sherborne St. John, Hampshire, England. Many of Guido di Savino's sons left Antwerp and made their homes in Holland and England. By the end of the 16th century, the maiolica technique had steadily expanded throughout Northern Europe and served as the foundation for the development of the Dutch Delftware industry. The development of tiles as a crucial structural element in Dutch architecture has a number of complicated causes. In the larger cities, replacing wooden homes with ones made of brick became a popular practice. A considerably larger portion of the people shared in the prosperity created by the booming economy and lucrative marine trade than was the case in other European nations. A sizable, affluent middle class could afford modest, well-built homes with tiled accents. The Dutch started using their tiles on the wall, although maiolica tiles had primarily been utilized on the floor in the 15th and 16th centuries. Due to the high demand for tiles, factories were soon established all throughout Holland, and by the start of the 17th century, tiles were being produced in places like Rotterdam, Delft, Haarlem, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Harlingen in Friesland. The use of tiles in Dutch household interior design was motivated by a variety of practical considerations. Many homes in cities and towns were built next to waterways, which caused the cellars to be constantly wet. Therefore, tiles were used to line cellars to prevent dampness and make them more hygienic storage spaces. Tiles were used to line open fireplaces to make them more fireproof. The glazed tile surface also served as a heat reflector. To keep out pests and make cleaning easier, skirtings were frequently tiled to fill the space between floorboards and walls in homes. To create waterproof and hygienic surfaces, kitchens were tiled. Additionally, stairs and other confined spaces were commonly lined with tiles since walls were regularly painted with whitewash that easily transferred to clothing. The tiles in Dutch homes also provided chances to create visually beautiful surfaces by adorning them with patterns and scenes, in addition to these functional reasons. Throughout the 17th century, a wide variety of subject matter emerged, from animals and flowers to images from daily life, ships, landscapes, and children's pastimes. Under the influence of the Italian maiolica method, the early 17th-century tiles were still painted in polychrome, but Dutch potters began to use a blue-and-white color scheme as Chinese blue-and-white porcelain became more popular. This led to the development of the blue-and-white Dutch Delftware tile that is today well recognized. Dutch tiles were produced in huge quantities not only for the domestic market but also for export abroad. In France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Denmark, and Britain, they were commonly utilized as luxury products for the décor of palaces and castles. The use of Delftware tiles in Louis XIV's Trianon de Porcelaine at Versailles in 1670 and the Pavilion des Bains at Chateau de Marly in 1688 greatly influenced the style of Delftware tiles in palaces. Between 1715 and 1730, the Comte de Toulouse also made extensive use of Dutch tiles at Chateau de Rambouillet in his Salle de Faience, which featured enormous seascape panels painted by Rotterdam tile artist Cornelis Boumeester. King and aristocratic preferences for Delftware tiles were not limited to France, though. The lavish early 18th-century tiled interiors of the Schloss Falkenlust, Briihl, and the pavilions in the grounds of Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich both still exist today in Germany. The palaces built by Peter the Great in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the early 18th century included lavishly tiled interiors made of Dutch tiles. As surviving specimens at the Menshikov Palace and the Summer Palace demonstrate, rooms were tiled from top to bottom, including the ceilings. Delftware tiles were used in a more restrained way in Britain. Large blue-and-white tiles created in 1689 at the Grieksche factory in Delft were used to embellish the Water Gallery at Hampton Court, which was designed by French architect Daniel Marot on behalf of Queen Mary. In London, Bristol, and Liverpool throughout the 18th century, English potters created their own adaptations of Dutch tiles. Although English Delftware tiles were occasionally employed as signs for hotels and coffee shops as well as in fireplaces and washbasin alcoves, their manufacturing was modest in compared to that of the Netherlands. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Portugal developed its own unique tile culture, and tiles were extensively employed inside palaces, hospitals, convents, and churches. Their approach to tile design is more grandiose and better suited for the ornamentation of substantial wall areas. Important examples in situ are the tiles from the 17th-century Fronteira Palace in Benfica, Lisbon, and the 17th and 18th-century tiles from the Convent of Madre-de-Deus, also in Lisbon The Portuguese extensively utilized tiles as exterior covering for buildings in the second half of the 19th century. The tiled stove was a mainstay of many interiors in Central Europe and Scandinavia, where it provided consistent heat during the chilly winters. To maximize the surface area and hence the heat radiation, ceramic stove tiles are very thick and frequently produced with a surface molded in relief. Typical stove tile decorations were molded and painted images, which gave the stoves an additional decorative element. The great ceramic traditions of the Middle East had already had an impact on tile manufacturing in Spain in the 14th and 15th centuries, but during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Ottoman empire was formed, established, and expanded, leading to significant new advances. One of the outstanding cultural products from that era was the painted ceramics and tiles produced in Iznik, Turkey, which were used to great advantage in the interior design of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The walls of the Harem and other areas of the palace, as well as the interiors of pavilions in the palace grounds, are covered in thousands of tiles. When the fascination with all things oriental had a noticeable impact on European art, architecture, and design in the late 19th century, Ottoman tiles had a significant influence on European tile design. The Industrial Revolution brought about significant developments that had a profound impact on the production, ornamentation, and application of tiles. John Saddler in Liverpool had already established a technique for printing on tiles in 1756; this technique will eventually supplant the conventional approach of hand painting. By 1770, Wedgwood had mastered his cream-colored Queen's Ware, which had a ceramic body rather than the delicate earthenware of Delftware and was stronger, denser, and more durable. This brand-new style of glazed earthenware from Wedgwood was also used to create cream-colored tiles that can be used in bathrooms and dairies. The tile business saw significant changes in the 19th century as a result of the development of superior clay bodies, new machinery, and production methods. Herbert Minton, a tile maker, headed the industry, and British technology extended throughout Europe, where the tile industries of Germany, France, and Belgium followed machine methods created in Britain. As one of the pioneers in exporting ceramic tiles, both in quality and quantity, in the continent, we will feel great to cooperate with all professional traders from all over the world.
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