Basic info

Collection

Archaeology

Object name

Floor tile

Object category

Medieval

Description

Decorated, glazed. Described in Harvey Brook's unpublished catalogue as " Encaustic floor tile fragment showing part of the conventional ornament consitiuting the pattern with which it was adorned. The decoration is in a golden yellow on an orange ground, both colours being in rich warm tinits. Quite a number of these tiles have been painted inthis most effective, cheerful scheme of colouring: it is a pity that so very few are perfect and undamaged. It seems fairly certain that the floors of churches were mostly of stone of sizes to suit local quarries, and that even cobble paving obtained in parts of early workas I found under the tweleth century floor of the Quire [sic] of Holy Trinity Priory, York. Tiling was reserved for the haut pas of the sanctuary and the paces of altarsand in the middle and last period, refectories, parlours coisters and chambers of the abbot's lodgings &c were frequently enriched by exquisite displays of heraldry and other forms of decoration." This tile has been reused.

Production date start

1066

Production date end

1540

Period

Medieval