Antique Delft tiles

Antique Dutch Delftware at antiquedutchdelftblue.com

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:37:00 +0000

I thought I'ld let you know I have a new blog up and running at www.antiquedutchdelftblue.com
I'll also be talking about antique Delft tiles there, in the future.
Feel free to have a look!

www.antiquedutchdelftblue.com

My favorite antique tile - for your viewing pleasure:

A polychrome tile with a fantastic seacreature.
Rotterdam, ca. 1600

New website: ROBMICHIELS.COM

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:33:00 +0000

Dear visitor,

it's with great pleasure that I invite you to take a peek at my fresh new website.
You can find it at www.robmichiels.com

This will, unfortunately, probably be my last blog entry here.
Well, never say never :)

Rob

Islamic Medieval Polychrome Star Tile 1200 AD by "ArtifactsUK"

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:04:00 +0000

This seller is one to watch out for. Artifactsuk - the new alias of Eftis Paraskevaides - struck me with a ridiculous description for a tile.
Have a look, I am discussing "this auction: Islamic Medieval Polychrome Star Tile 1200 AD"
The featured tile is actually a Flemish tile from around 1800 and has nothing to do with Islamic tiles, 1200 AD, Medieval or even polychrome...

You can read up on Eftis' history on my (very) old blog.

In memoriam: Anthony George Ray

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Anthony George Ray

The following obituary, written by our Fellow Huon Mallalieu, first appeared in The Times on 24 August 2009.

Anthony George Ray, an inspirational Eton schoolmaster and a renowned scholar in the fields of English delftware and Spanish maiolica, was born in 1926 at Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills. His father, Reginald Ray, was the Commissioner of Police in Calcutta; his mother, Marion Huggan, was the daughter of a three-times Mayor of Pudsey in Leeds. Anthony followed his elder sister and brother “home” to be educated in England, attending Charterhouse where he became head boy. Holidays were spent with their grandfather in his retirement home at Scarborough, and after the death of their mother in 1936, with her brother’s family. Ray’s brother Christopher, who returned to teach at Charterhouse, said it was a somewhat loveless upbringing for a boy who grew to be a notably warm family man and an understanding housemaster.

Ray was commissioned in the Navy just in time to spend the last month of the war in a minesweeper, before going up to University College, Oxford, where he was a hockey blue. He intended to stay on for a PhD but in 1951 a chance meeting with Robert Birley, his old headmaster at Charterhouse and then the headmaster of Eton, led to the offer of a job. Ray taught languages at Eton for the next 38 years even though his only previous teaching experience came when he stood in for his brother for a fortnight at Lancing.

Ray was a fine linguist. He spoke French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch and Portuguese fluently, Swedish and Welsh more than passably, and would happily make jokes in Hindi and Croatian. His interests were by no means limited to his languages, however. Having taught himself photography, he set up the school photographic society, and also founded the art history slide library.

In 1956 he married Veronica Mary Slater. She was ten years his junior, and when he introduced her to Eton her striking looks had a dramatic effect on many senior boys, only a little younger than she was. She was a potter and painter who had studied at Guildford Art School, where Quentin Crisp stood for the life class in a pink posing pouch. Part of the courtship took place in the 100 Club, since they were keen jazz fans.

In 1966 Ray took over Penn House, thereafter known as Ray’s or AGR, at a point when it needed considerable attention. It was characterised by hearty sporty types and strong traditions of fagging, sports, leaving to join the army, and beatings by the house captain. A boy’s-eye account of Ray’s approach and success is typical of many: “His liberalism of outlook was treated with some suspicion, but he gradually won us over with his patient care and his lovely personality. His guitar house assemblies, talks on Piero della Francesca, and huge range of interests were inspiring.”

Eric Anderson, headmaster in Ray’s later years, called him “a gentleman schoolmaster of genius,” and noted how carefully he picked individualists as new boys to his house. Ray made it his business to attend any activity, sporting, musical, artistic or otherwise, that involved any of his boys. His interest in the art schools led to a close friendship between the Rays and Gordon Baldwin, the ceramic artist, who taught there for many years, and his wife, the painter Nancy Baldwin.

Among their shared enthusiasms was experimental music. A visit to a concert led to a friendship with the flautist Bob Downes, for whom Baldwin made two straight-blown clay flutes, with Ray calculating the positioning of the holes. Ray’s own instruments included piano and double bass and was noted for his skilled performances on Spanish guitar, and for satirical calypsos on senior boys he performed at the house Christmas dinners. The guitar featured in the songs with which he entertained his own children. Naturally enough, he was also a member of the Eton jazz band, playing washboard.

In 1973 the Rays bought a house in the Brecon Beacons from the Baldwins. It became their bolt-hole and spiritual home where they “lived a civilised life in the middle of a beautiful wilderness”, as Dora Thornton, FSA, of the British Museum put it. “Anthony carried a humane and urbane atmosphere with him wherever he went, even in the most unpromising circumstances. The quality of his talk, responsiveness and charm were undiminished whatever the conditions in which he found himself. A rare quality.” Ray had his studio, filled with books, his collection and hi-fi equipment, and a study in which to write.

In parallel to his teaching at Eton, Ray had a second life, which would have been career enough for anyone else, and which only intensified with official retirement. At an early age he was a keen stamp collector, and his acquisitive interests soon widened, taking in delftware, or tin-glazed earthenware, particularly tiles. As an undergraduate he met with a warm welcome at the Ashmolean, especially from the ceramics department, which housed the Robert Hall Warren collection of English delftware.

At that time it was accepted that pieces could be firmly attributed to particular factories, Bristol, Brislington, Lambeth and so on, and even to particular decorators. Building on the work of Professor F. H. Garner, who had scoured Lambeth bombsites for shards after the Blitz, Ray’s researches led him to the realisation that matters were rarely so clear-cut.

This generated some awkwardness with the family and others when he was invited to catalogue the Hall Warren Collection, and he questioned previously firm attributions. The resulting publication, English Delftware Pottery (1968) established him as the leading authority in the field. It was followed by English Delftware Tiles (1973) and Liverpool Printed Tiles (1994). The last was published by the specialist dealer Jonathan Horne, FSA, and in 2000 they produced an updated volume entitled English Delftware in the Ashmolean Museum.

Ray’s ceramic interests were by no means limited to England. He turned his attention to Dutch Delft (the town’s name, like similar English place names, signifies diggings or clay pits, and thus came to stand for earthenwares produced in other countries as well as Delft itself), Italian, and above all Spanish, maiolica — a cousinage of lead and tin-glaze pottery. His research had introduced him to the ceramic department of the Victoria & Albert Museum, which holds the Garner archive, and this resulted in his appointment to catalogue the museum’s Spanish pottery.

Ray combined learning with intuition and was willing to go back to first principles. The judicious balance of archaeological, documentary and stylistic evidence, together with his understanding of craft traditions and making, produced his magnum opus, Spanish Pottery 1298-1898, which Timothy Wilson, curator of Western Art at the Ashmolean called “the most definitive work of reference on the subject in any language, including Spanish”.

Michael Archer, who worked with Ray at the V&A, greatly admired his scholarship and enquiring mind, but came to be as wary as generations of Etonians of the phrase “You do realise the implications...”.

Ray was as well respected by his museum peers in Spain as in England, and he spent much time in Barcelona, Seville and Toledo, and he was made a member of the Academia de Toledo. At home he was elected to the Society of Antiquaries in 1995, and he was particularly proud to be awarded a DLitt by his old college in recognition of his services to the Ashmolean.

At the time that he fell ill he was working with Alfonso Pleguezelo on a book on Francisco Niculoso Pisano, the Italian who brought maiolica techniques from Italy to Spain at the end of the 15th century.

For some years Ray’s concern had been the care of his wife, who was suffering from a degenerative disease, but he continued to research, to write and to fill gaps in his collections, until a minor heart attack took him to hospital, where surgery was followed by a stroke.

On leaving hospital he joined his wife in a care home. Ray left his comprehensive English delftware collection to the Ashmolean.

Ray is survived by Veronica, his wife of 53 years, and by their two sons and two daughters.

Anthony Ray, teacher and ceramics historian, was born on September 14, 1926. He died on August 7, 2009, aged 82

Source: http://www.sal.org.uk/obituaries/anthonygeorgeray

Interesting websites on antique Delft tiles!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Here are some interesting tile-related websites for your viewing pleasure (most are Dutch only, unfortunately):

1. The Dutch tile Museum: www.nederlandstegelmuseum.nl
-Homepage of the Dutch tile museum
2. The collection of the Dutch tile Museum: http://www.collectiegelderland.nl/musea/nederlandstegelmuseum/
-On the right you will see categories of different tiles, clicking one of them will lead you to the corresponding collection-
3. Dr. Ulrich Carlhoff and Wolfram Brier's website: http://www.delfter-fliese.de/
-Made by and for collectors (English and German)
4. Antiquetiles.be: www.antiquetiles.be
-My own website and shop, which gives you examples of genuine antique tiles, with brief descriptions and the possibility to purchase

I'll add some more in some time.
Have fun!

Another fake APK charger!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Have a look at this charger: "Very old huge Delft plate, Grieksche A / Greek A !!"
Yes... it is indeed another replica of an 18th C. charger.

Have a look at the characteristics and compare them with a real 18th C. Delft charger.

Compare the backs (the pin marks from the oven!) and you will see the difference!

Robert Aronson explaining Black Delftware

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:43:00 +0000

An interesting video made at TEFAF 2009, in which Robert Aronson presents 3 pieces of the very rare Black Delftware.

Interesting painting!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Here's a painting I very much wanted to share with you:

It shows ceramics painters at work.

Title: Peintres céramistes à Delft
Painter: Emile Hendrick Karel Passchaal Godding
Dimensions: 120 x 168 cm
Sale price: 4700 Euro (excl. fees)
This work was sold at a Dutch auction house, early may.

Mirror images on Delft tiles

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:30:00 +0000

Check out this pair of tiles on eBay!	Today I'll be presenting you two pairs of tiles with mirror images. Mirror images are decors painted using the same "spons". A "spons" was a piece of paper with the main lines of the scene pricked through. Some charcoal would then be "sprayed" on the tile, to give the painter an idea of which lines to follow. Sometimes the spons would only give him an idea of the animal, figure, ship, ... and sometimes it would show him exactly what to paint, including the tufts (grounds), clouds, bushes, ...
The pair of tiles depicted above is available on eBay. Click here to see it. On the right you see another pair of mirror imaged tiles. This pair shows that the "spons" doesn't necessarily make up the entire decoration on the tile. (source: www.groenehartvertellingen.nl)
	Another pair of mirror image tiles is available on my website. Click here to see it. Here you see that the decoration on these tiles is almost completely exact. This could imply that the spons covered almost all features on the tile.

Bad Delftware on ebay: they keep on coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:17:00 +0000

	Here's the first plate of today's series. This is not a plate as we know it, but rather a serving dish or tray. It is described as a "Fine signed 18th C. Polychrome Delft serving Bowl". Unfortnately, this is not a genuine Delftware item. Furthermore, it has probably never been to the Netherlands at all! Looking at it, it was probably produced in France or Italy. The colors are the first indication. They have no link with Delftware whatsoever. Purple, deep purple as used in this plate, was not even in use in the 18th, not even in the 19th century. Also, the trait around the designs, the form, the tin glaze color, ... Every feature of this plate leads me to reject this plate. Now, I can already hear some of you thinking: "But... what about the signature? Is not a clear proof of its age?" I'm afraid not... The IHL mark for Jakobus Harlees, as well as the APK mark for Adriaan Pietersz. Kockx, is one of the most copied marks on Delftware replicas. Click here to see this plate on eBay.
This is the next one for today. It is being offered as a "Bristol Delft plate B/W plate in exceptionally fine condition". Of course it's in fine condition... It's almost new! Have a look at the plate below, and compare. Having a good look at it, you can also see a fake "De Porceleyne Klaeuw" mark at the back. Such plates were made in France from the 19th century until now. Looking at the refined quality and the complete absence of wear, it is to be dated closer to "now" than to the 19th century.
	Here's the last one for today. It's a Delft plate with a fake 'The Porceleyne Bijl" mark, but also marked France. And this is what makes it so interesting! Comparing it to other plates I've spoken about, this is the proof that many of the fake Delft plates are made in France, and that even the forgers (if we may call them so, as they perhaps do not intend to deceive) sometimes forget the meaning of the markings.

Questions from readers

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:24:00 +0000

Now and then, I get an e-mail from a reader, asking me the ins and outs about their tile(s).
Here are a few of their questions... and my answers...

	Christina from Australia sent me a good image of a tile of hers. Here's what she said about her tile: "The tile in question was given to me by a family friend who is now deceased. He would have been 90 this year and he had it for a long time. The gentleman in question was from a very old dutch family, he was in the dutch resistance during the war. I don't know where or when he procured the item. When we were in Holland earlier this year we saw a similar one in an antique shop so we decided that we should perhaps treat the one we own with more respect. The previous owner used it as a coaster and had used glue to attach some 1970's berber carpet to the back so it wouldn't scratch furniture! I have carefully removed it but glue residue does remain on the back. It could be removed but I would like to do it safely so it can stay for now. It is quite a thick tile, about one centimeter thick. The back (where there isn't any glue!) is slightly unven and rough but it looks as though it is grouting/plaster? from it's time on a wall." Curious to find out its value and timeframe? Scroll down and find my answer below!
Hello Christina, I'm happy to inform you that it is indeed a genuine antique Delft tile. It was made in the first half of the 19th century. This type of tile was made in an era of downfall for the Dutch ceramics factories. Hence it is logic that it lacks the refined style from 17th and 18th century tiles. Its worth is quite relative, I would estimate it at about 30 Euro. But, as with many small treasures from the past, its sentimental value is of course much bigger. Please do hold on to it! Kind regards, Rob Michiels
	Terry Smith from the UK was less fortunate. He found this tile in an antiques center, and was curious about its age and origin. Have a look at the tile on your left, and read my opinion below: Hello Terry, Your tile is unfortunately not a genuine 17th or 18th century tile. It is a later copy, possible late 19th/early 20th century. It might have been made in France, but Holland is also possible. Kind regards, Rob Michiels

Feel free to send me your inquiries, I'm happy to help out.
You can also do some research on your own by comparing to the tiles available through www.antiquetiles.be !

An interesting antique Delft tile from Ghent, Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:16:00 +0000

	The reputable seller Mokum2000 offers an interesting tile for sale. It features a seacreature combination of a cock and a whale and has most of the characteristics of a 17th C. Dutch Delft tile. What is less obvious about this tile, is where it was made. This was probably in the region of Ghent, one of the larger Belgian cities. Excavations in the area of the Bisdomplein (2006) have revealed pottery waste, such as pins and cones (used to support the pieces during the baking process, see image) and fragments of semi-finished pieces. These are related to the factory of Pieter Stockholm, which operated in Ghent from 1654 until 1675. Before this he had been working in the Northern Netherlands (cf. The Netherlands) for some 28 years, a.o. in Delft.
Just to the south of the Bisdomplein, in a few buildings belonging to the Geeraard de Duivelsteen (see image), Stockholm was the first Ghent-based producer of maiolica and faience. Another potter, Gilles van de Vyvere, started out on his own a decade or so later. His factory was to be found in the neighbourhood of the actual Kortrijksepoortstraat. Excavations in the Bijloke area in 1995 already showed evidence of this local attempt to meet the Stockholm production quality.
	A local antiques dealer found back several tiles of this type in different cellars in the Oudburg area. It is hard to attribute them to one of the two potters, but it is almost certain that these tiles where made in Ghent. A few years ago, I came across a set which had traveled from an original chimney in Ghent to a dealer in Liège, up north to the Netherlands and back to Ghent (See image). Tiles of this type have, as far as I know, not yet been found in situ in the Northern Netherlands. As for the quality of the painting, the tiles don't meet up to the highest quality of 17th C. seacreature tiles (like Harlingen for example) but do surpass some of the more regular seacreature tiles from that same period. The corner motive is not marked in "The Dutch Tile, Designs and Names, 1570-1930". It appears to be a restyled oxhead decoration.

Sources:
-LALEMAN M.C., LIEVOIS D., STOOPS G. & SWIMBERGHE P., Hollands porselein uit Gent, in: Stadsarcheologie - bodem en monument in Gent, Gent, 1996, jg. 20, nr. 3, pp. 5-55.

- STOOPS G., Erfgoedmemo 6 - Aardewerk met tinglazuur, Gent, 2003
-http://users.telenet.be/opperalien/Nieuws200206.htm

New Layout!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:32:00 +0000

To make the blog much more accessible for users with different system settings, I'll be using tables from now on. All input is welcome! Thanks for your opinion!

Poor fakes from the same type as before!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:01:00 +0000

	Here's another poor ebay auction. This one features an ice skating scene of a man and a woman, dated 1842. Let's go over some of the characteristics: First of all, the seller states that the tiles are about 1 cm thick. It is beyond any doubt that all Dutch Delft tiles that would have been made around 1842, would be no thicker than 8 mm (that is 0,8 cm). This on itself should be a warning!
Number two: The very thick glaze on these tiles should set another warning. It's easy to see the glass-like glaze crackling, which is typical for this type of reproduction. I'm pretty convinced that these tiles were made by the same forger as the nail-tile I commented in my last post. Third point: The style of the painting is very atypical for Delft tiles in general and for tile murals in particular. Most murals consist of a large design, made up on all or almost all of the tiles.
	Fourth point: The back of these tiles. This weird composition of the back is typical for tiles that were rolled out on plastic. Needless to say that this practice was not in use around 1840. Did they even have plastic back then? ;-) If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

A quick update on my own status: My shop is now up and running in Bruges (Belgium). The online shop is still being shaped. There are some 45 items in it now, and expanding! Feel free to visit at www.antiquetiles.be!

A very rare tile... But a fake one, indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Big was my astonishment as I saw this in teresting tile while browsing eBay.co.uk just a minute ago! Up for auction is a very interesting looking "nail-tile". These tiles were made in the Dutch city of Gouda and are very sought after by high-end collectors. Such tiles are likely to fetch auction results of several thousands of euros (in acceptable condition, that is).

But these two real Gouda nail tiles shown below (Collection F. Leerink) were only made in polychrome versions. They were finely painted in many colors, typical for upper-class clients' demands back in the seventeenth century. Only few monochrome blue ones were painted, and they clearly lacked the grandeur of their earlier counterparts, generally portraying the birds smaller.

And as with everything that is very wanted and costs a lot of money, this type of tile is also being counterfeited.

What struck me, is that this counterfeit strongly resembles other fake tiles I have seen. Someone in The Netherlands, in the region of Krimpen a/d Ijssel, is spending time trying to recreate superb antique tiles. His copies are nice, but are nowhere near the real deal. The tiles generally have a somewhat rough surface and the decoration is generally slightly raised.

What is even more intriguing, are the nail holes on the tiles. Opposed to actual antique Dutch tiles, the nail holes are way too close to the middle of the tile. In general, they are between 1 and 2 cm away from the very corners of the tiles. Most of the time, tiles were made with just two or three nail holes. All these fakes show 4 (see image below)!

(3 pictures courtesy of Groenehartvertellingen.nl - find out more about fake tiles through this link - only in Dutch though)

Some replica delft items for your consideration

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:16:00 +0000

The plate called "Antique Delft plate CLAW 18th C." is a copy which probably doesn't even date back to the 19th century, but looks more like a 20th century replica. Same goes for that seller's Delft vase, the nr. 2 on the list, and his French Rouen jug.

The left one of the two Brunk Auctions Delft plates is very likely to be 20th century material. The other one is not a Delft plate, it looks French faience to me.

The French seller's plate attributed to Devres or Geo Martel is interesting. These French ceramics producers from the North -Boulogne- did indeed produce copies in the late 19th century. Yet, this plate also looks as if it could have been made last year. The amount of wear is often important. Sometimes it looks as if someone tried to create wear by scraping the plate with a tool of some kind. This is a good example!

The Italian vase is a tad bit expensive! Let me tell you, that a completely intact 17th or 18th century Delftware piece is very scarce. Ceramics are fragile and considered "soft" materials. Every authentic plate's edge should at the least have a few nibbles.

Watch out! This is not a genuine tile!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:51:00 +0000

Well, even though most of you already found out about that, the Delft tile for auction on eBay.co.uk described as 18TH CENTURY DELFT ARMORIAL / CRESTED / HERLDIC TILE is not a genuine antique tile.

It is a typical replica tile made around 1920, probably. It shows strong style influence of late 16th to early 17th century tiles, making it a good item for non-specialised sellers to sell in between their loads of other almost-junk "antiques". Well, it's not always like that of course. But some seller just seem to feel justified to write poor descriptions because in general, they'll describe their items correctly, avoiding a substantial negative feedback percentage.

So what's a sure fire way to immediately recognise these later reproductions?
Well, try comparing the style of the painted lion to that of a 17th or 18th C. lion. You'll see the difference! This is a good exercise for training your "tile eye"!
Furthermore, the extremely glossy glaze is quite an indication as well.
And last but not least, the thickness of a tile!

Looking at this picture, this tile has a thickness of about 7-8 mm. Any good tile reference book will tell you that this relates to the period after 1780. In that same reference book, you should find at least one image of a tile with a similar decoration, dated 1580-1620, and with a given dimension of at least 1 cm.

Another tile from Bruges!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:44:00 +0000

Here's another one for sale!
This typical Bruges seacreature tile is for sale from the Dutch seller blukari36, a passionate tile collector himself! This clearly shows that only very little is known about the tile production from Bruges, the historical city in Belgium.

This tile is a very nice example. It illustrates the habit from the Pulinckx factory to often decorate their tiles both in manganese and blue. Very nice!

Interesting auction!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:14:00 +0000

The tile in this auction , described as an 18th C. Liverpool tile, is actually a Belgian.

It was made in Bruges, in the second half of the 18th century. There was a relatively small production centre for ceramics in the historical city. It was led by a sculptor named Pulinckx.

The Pulinckx factory made tiles and plates, but also made other pieces.
There still are a few very interesting faux-marbre fireplaces to see in the Gruuthuse Museum in Bruges and the Boulogne Ceramics Museum. He also made mantlepieces.

The Bruges tiles bear strong resemblance to Dutch tiles. They can be recognised through their somewhat smaller size (ca. 12.2 x 12.2 cm) and the relatively pink color of the clay. These tiles typically show some baking flaws such as burnt glaze, "flown" glaze, firing cracks or a non-straight surface. Pulinckx' tiles generally have a blue-ish background.

But the most typical feature of these Bruges tiles with landscapes are the dynamic lines that represent bushes along the building pictured.

I'll show some pictures of other Pulinckx' tiles as soon as I have the time for it!

Replica tiles - some insights!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Hi all!
I just seem to be experiencing a lack of time and energy to regularly update this blog.
The reason being that I'm currently working for the Archeology Department of the historical city Gent. One of the things I'm working on is their website. This is a part of my journalism study. I have three weeks left to complete. After that, I promise, I'll try to update this blog at least once a week.
As for now, here's something you should benefit from!
I just listed A pair of Dutch Delft blue tiles with ships 17th C. (click the link to see them).
Now, a very similar pair has been put on offer:2 SHIP DELFT TILE TRIVITS MID-LATE 17th CENTURY (click here to see them).
The differences are obvious, yet very enlightening.
I urge you to compare both sets. Find the million differences, and it's a mistake you won't make twice!
These tiles are 20th C. reproductions. Here are a few obvious clues to this determination:
1) The corners on these new tiles are dead straight. Antique tiles generally have slightly rounded corners. They originally had the same sharp corners, but three to four hundred years of use always leaves the tiles at least a very little worn.
2) Not a single chip, stain or flea bite! As I said, there's no such thing as the 100% perfect antique tile. Well, you may find an exception here or there, but in general this is a "no go"!
3) The typical 20th C. oxheads in the corners. Compare them to the different ones on antique tiles, for example in my eBay shop, and you'll see what I mean!
4) Their thickness. 17th C. tiles generally have a thickness of at least 0,9 cm (0.35 inch).
Looking at the pictures provided by the seller, his tiles are about 4 mm thick.
5) Not a single trace of mortar on the back of these tiles. They've clearly never been used.

Well, after looking at thousands of tiles, everybody would be able to pick these out as replicas.
Reading my blog from time to time will help you achieve the same "connoisseur" eye.
Any questions regarding authenticity? Ask me!

Antique Delft tiles with portraits of English royals

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:01:00 +0000

These tiles were made between 1670 and 1700. They generally measure about 13 cm square and have a thickness of 9-10 mm. Three examples of this kind of tile are known. One with King Charles II of England, one with Prince James, and one with nothing more but a crown.

A few tiles of this type were once found together in Groningen in The Netherlands.

I once encountered a Prince James tile.
Look at the photograph to see what the portrait on that tile looks like (the image isn't great, conditions were not optimal).

Slipware tiles with rampant lions: a few reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:15:00 +0000

Slipware tiles with rampant lions come in many forms.
In literature from the Low Countries, these tiles are generally considered Flemish. They would have been made by late medieval potters, mainly in West Flanders from the second half of the seventeenth century on. These tiles were often used to decorate fireplaces, but examples are knowns of buildings with walls entirely tiled with these kinds of tiles.
However, many collectors, dealers and institutions, believe these tiles are older and of English origin. It is very likely that this kind of tiles has been produced during a large period, both below and above the North Sea. This suggestion would be a possible explanation for the present discrepancies in opinions about this type of tile.

Here are some references on these tiles:

Here's an image from the collection of former top collector of medieval art, Frits Philips. Most items from his collection were auctioned during a large Sotheby's auction in December 2006. A lot of no less than one hundred and sixty of these tiles was sold there. The tiles were described as "Earthenware hearth tiles, probably Limburg 16th Century". The set was sold for 4800 Euro (incl. premium), even though the general condition of the tiles was not good.

Here's a reference image from the Royal Institute for the Study and Conservation of Belgium's Artistic Heritage, unfortunately only available in black and white. The tile is described as a floor tile, most likely made in Torhout, West Flanders, between 1250 and 1300. The tile measures 13,5 x 13,5 x 1,5 cm.

It is part of the collection of the Museum for stone objects from Gent.

And here's a tile currently available for auction on eBay. It has the same dimensions as the one in the Gent museum. It does seem to have been made in a less primitive manner than the one from the Belgian museum shown above. I would say that this tile was made around 1700.

Here's the same type of tile, with the same dimensions, but with the lion roaring to the left.

These are two similar examples. The one on the left acutally bears a written description on the back, reading "Poperinge 18E". A very similar tile is available on eBay at the moment! Poperinge, a small village in West Flanders, was one of the production centres of such tiles. I believe the both of them can be regarded as 18th century examples. They look and "feel" younger than their older counterparts.

Any suggestions would be very welcome and appreciated!
Feel free to leave your comments here!

Here we go again!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:00:00 +0000

2008 has started, time for another attempt to keeping an up-to-date blog online.
Let's hope that I'll be having enough time this year to keep up the efforts.

We'll start with another questionable auction: Click here to see it.
The auction is titled 18th century Blue & White Delft Tile Depicting Galleon.
Well, this clearly is not an 18th century tile!
How to spot this? There's quite a few irregularities. The different shades of dark blue are quite atypical for 18th century Delftware. Be sure to compare it to other tiles, for example in my own ebay-shop.

Furthermore, the modern style waves are another clear indication about the more recent date of creation of this tile! And last but not least, so are the corner decorations. These were not used in the 18th century, but are modern (well, perhaps late 19th century) interpretations of 17th century oxhead corner decorations.
Be warned!

Here's another one, titled Antique Delft Tile-Woman with basket. Click here to see it.
In the first description line, we get an immediate suggestion: "This is an old Delft tile. I was told at an auction house that is was from the 1700's."
Well, actually this is not a Dutch tile, and it's not a Delft tile either. It's most likely a late 19th century tile made in France. Colors, style and corner decorations are clear indications.
Another way to get a good age indication, is by feeling the tile. If the clay is rather red, you can almost be sure that the tile is French.

We'll finish today's message with an eBay classic. This seller now and then offers a large amount of tiles for sale. Be cautious when buying tiles that don't have a clear description and/or age indication.
Have a look at this tile. As always, this seller states that all tiles he offers were made between 1625 and 1960. A sure fire way to mislead people though.
The tile in this auction is a 19th century replica of a 17th century tile. The traditional Wan-Li corners have been restyled to a more rough composition of lines and dots. And the same goes for the central floral decoration, a so called three-tulip.
Learn for yourself by comparing the two below:

It's not so hard to spot the difference, is it? Yet, many people have had themselves fooled on items like these. Therefore, if you're not sure, always take a look around and compare to other offers.
If you want to comment or maybe even help along, please contact me: info@antiquetiles.be

Here we go again!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:34:00 +0000

Here's another very questionable auction.

The tile is listed as an "18th c DELFT BIBLICAL TILE POSSIBLY LONDON".
Click here to see the auction!
It is not so hard to see that it actually is a late 19th C. tile.

One more?
This must be a very old tile, as the seller believes it to be a 15th or 16th C. example!
What a lucky person, this seems like an unknown medieval tile!
Unfortunately, the tile is definetely nt 15th/16th C. but a late replica, probably late 19th to middle 20th C.
You can see the auction here.

Another questionable auction!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob Michiels) — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 10:59:00 +0000

Here's another replica tile auction!
This tile was probably made in the 1960-1970 period.
Click here to see the auction!