Tiles: 1,000 Years of Architectural Decoration

Rating:
Summary: Tiles for all ages.....
Review: I just returned from Sheboygan WI home of Kroeler--the bathroom fixtures firm. While there, I visited the Kroeler Art Museum which houses several "interesting" public restrooms. One of the more amusing pastimes in this little town is inspecting restrooms filled with Kroler plumbing fixtures -- and modern tiles. The Kroeler Design Center displays a number of newer items.

I was supprised to see no mention of Kroeler's modern works in this book, but hey, it's tough to cover 1,000 years of anything. Several major European firms are mentioned over and over, however. The bulk of the tiles displayed in this book (in situ in most cases) are located in Europe, which makes sense. Until the Dutch started using tiles as ballast in their sailing ships, not many tiles made it to the New World.

The book opens with a discussion of the earliest tiles found in Europe, those created 'For God and Earthly Princes.' Many of these tiles are found in Moorish-Christian Spain. The next chapter, 'Painted Magnificence' looks at 15th Century tiles from Italy, the early Maiolica (book's spelling) from Italy is beautiful. Some of it is too ornate for my tastes, but there are several lovely pieces. Later sections cover my favorites--Dutch, northern French, English and Scandanavian and Art Deco.

Tiles have been used in buildings because of their fire resistance properties (fire places and mantles in particular), hygienic qualities (bath houses and kitchens), and low need for maintenance (businesses, public buildings, and transportation sites). Some of the most amazing tiles are found in the Underground Stations in London. Other cities (Paris, Toronto, New York) have followed suit to a certain extent. I have taken the subway all over London just to see the station decoration. The book shows details from the Shrub Hill station in Worcester England which is decorated with Maw and Company majolica tiles (book spelling). The station scene depicting 'Jack climbs the Beanstalk' was executed in 1875, and thank goodness no one modernized it.

In a section titled the 'March of the Machine' a page from the Villeroy and Boch tile catalogue is presented along with many examples of mass produced tiles 'in situ.' 'The Triump of the Designer' takes the reader forward to the Art Deco period when Minton, W.B. Simpson and Sons, Wedgwood and other china manufacturers created art tiles for bathrooms, kitchens, and public buildings. Shown are Harrods Meat Hall in London, tin-glazed tiles in a private home in Amsterdam, and the kitchen of the palatial summer home of the Czar.

'The New World' examines tile displays in America, from New York City to California. Shown are a riverboat scene in a ceramic plaque at the Fulton street subway station on Lexington Avenue in New York, the 1913 Dixie Terminal in Cincinnati, and a picture of a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer created by the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Pennsylvania.

The book is beautiful. It contains detailed and larger photos of whole walls in situ. It is a survey type book, covering 1,000 years of tiles in Europe and America -- a good book if you contemplate collecting tiles, or visiting the places where tiles are mounted. Unfortunately, much was lost in WWII. Luckily, much remains.

Rating:
Summary: Tiles for all ages.....
Review: I just returned from Sheboygan WI home of Kroeler--the bathroom fixtures firm. While there, I visited the Kroeler Art Museum which houses several "interesting" public restrooms. One of the more amusing pastimes in this little town is inspecting restrooms filled with Kroler plumbing fixtures -- and modern tiles. The Kroeler Design Center displays a number of newer items.

I was supprised to see no mention of Kroeler's modern works in this book, but hey, it's tough to cover 1,000 years of anything. Several major European firms are mentioned over and over, however. The bulk of the tiles displayed in this book (in situ in most cases) are located in Europe, which makes sense. Until the Dutch started using tiles as ballast in their sailing ships, not many tiles made it to the New World.

The book opens with a discussion of the earliest tiles found in Europe, those created 'For God and Earthly Princes.' Many of these tiles are found in Moorish-Christian Spain. The next chapter, 'Painted Magnificence' looks at 15th Century tiles from Italy, the early Maiolica (book's spelling) from Italy is beautiful. Some of it is too ornate for my tastes, but there are several lovely pieces. Later sections cover my favorites--Dutch, northern French, English and Scandanavian and Art Deco.

Tiles have been used in buildings because of their fire resistance properties (fire places and mantles in particular), hygienic qualities (bath houses and kitchens), and low need for maintenance (businesses, public buildings, and transportation sites). Some of the most amazing tiles are found in the Underground Stations in London. Other cities (Paris, Toronto, New York) have followed suit to a certain extent. I have taken the subway all over London just to see the station decoration. The book shows details from the Shrub Hill station in Worcester England which is decorated with Maw and Company majolica tiles (book spelling). The station scene depicting 'Jack climbs the Beanstalk' was executed in 1875, and thank goodness no one modernized it.

In a section titled the 'March of the Machine' a page from the Villeroy and Boch tile catalogue is presented along with many examples of mass produced tiles 'in situ.' 'The Triump of the Designer' takes the reader forward to the Art Deco period when Minton, W.B. Simpson and Sons, Wedgwood and other china manufacturers created art tiles for bathrooms, kitchens, and public buildings. Shown are Harrods Meat Hall in London, tin-glazed tiles in a private home in Amsterdam, and the kitchen of the palatial summer home of the Czar.

'The New World' examines tile displays in America, from New York City to California. Shown are a riverboat scene in a ceramic plaque at the Fulton street subway station on Lexington Avenue in New York, the 1913 Dixie Terminal in Cincinnati, and a picture of a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer created by the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Pennsylvania.

The book is beautiful. It contains detailed and larger photos of whole walls in situ. It is a survey type book, covering 1,000 years of tiles in Europe and America -- a good book if you contemplate collecting tiles, or visiting the places where tiles are mounted. Unfortunately, much was lost in WWII. Luckily, much remains.

Rating:
Summary: A spectacularly beautiful book!
Review: Tiles: 1,000 Years of Architectural Decoration by Hans van Lemmen (with a chapter by Susan Tunick) is a spectacularly beautiful book. This richly visual tour of tiles from medieval through modern times is fascinating from both an architectural and artistic point of view. Tiles both practical and fanciful, machine manufactured or handmade and painted, are lushly photographed. For the artist or tile muralist, this is a wonderfully inspirational and exciting resource! It is the best book on tiles that I have ever seen, visually appealing and lovely. Highly recommended.