Tile (12) - Manganese architectural landscapes - 1850-1900 - Tableau

Table of 12 antique Dutch tin-glazed wall tiles – Mangane architecture landscapes – Unused old stock – 19th century

Description

A particularly coherent and sequential lot of 12 antique Dutch tin-glazed wall tiles, hand-painted in manganese/purple tones with varied architectural and landscape scenes.

The depictions show, among others, churches with pointed towers, houses and other architecture, placed on stylized grounds and combined with characteristic long horizontal streaks of sky and clouds and small birds. Several scenes recur within the series, but each tile is individually hand-painted, resulting in subtle differences in line work and detailing.

All twelve tiles feature the same distinctive, highly stylized corner ornament with a double scroll and a small leaf/heart-shaped element. When the tiles are placed side by side, these ornaments visually align and form a repeating decorative pattern or report.

Although the twelve tiles clearly form one cohesive series, differences in painting style and small technical production variations are recognizable within the set. Some are painted very uniformly and soberly, while others differ somewhat in line work, detailing and the intensity of the manganese. The recurring motifs also make it clear that the decors are not mechanically identical but were executed individually by hand.

Remarkable coherence between size, thickness and weight

Technically, this consecutive series is particularly interesting. The tiles show small but systematic differences in size, thickness and weight. These differences are not random: as the tile body becomes slightly larger and thicker, the weight increases correspondingly.

This is especially evident with three specimens featuring nearly identical recurring architectural decoration: the same small building on a ground, with a tall vertical chimney/tower shape and a characteristic slanted element with a diamond-shaped top.

These three almost identically decorated tiles weigh 273 g, 286 g and 291 g respectively. Physically, the same progression is visible: the 273 g example belongs to the smaller and thinner variant, 286 g is an intermediate size, and the 291 g example belongs to the larger and slightly thicker variant. The 273 g piece also has a corner cut, so a small portion of the lower weight is explained by material loss.

Because almost the same decoration recurs on three different tile bodies, the almost 20 g difference cannot be meaningfully accounted for by painting alone. Front, back and side-view photos show that the weight difference relates to the size and thickness of the ceramic tile body.

The same pattern is recognizable throughout the full set. The sizes progress in small steps from approximately 12.9 × 12.9 cm to about 12.95 × 12.95 cm and up to about 13.0 × 13.0 cm, while the thickness roughly increases from about 8 mm to 8.5 mm and to about 9 mm. The individual weights track accordingly.

This internal coherence, together with the corresponding ceramic shard, glaze and production traces, identical corner ornamentation, recurring decors and painting technique, strongly indicates a single cohesive artisanal production series, within which minor technical variations in tile bodies occur.

In some of the thinner specimens it is also visible that the white tin glaze is locally thinner or warmer in appearance, allowing the yellow/beige to ocher-toned ceramic body to subtly glow through the surface, mainly towards the edges.

Specifications

Quantity: 12 tiles
Object: Dutch tin-glazed wall tiles / whiteware tiles
Decor: architecture and landscape scenes, including churches and houses
Color: manganese/purple on white tin glaze
Technique: earthenware, tin-glazed and individually hand-painted
Corner ornament: stylized corner ornament with double scroll and leaf/heart-shaped element
Production period: 19th century, from early to mid-19th century
Provenance: Netherlands
Dimensions: approximately 12.9 × 12.9 cm to 13.0 × 13.0 cm
Thickness: approximately 8–9 mm

Individual weights:
273 g – 276 g – 276 g – 277 g – 277 g – 277 g – 277 g – 282 g – 286 g – 289 g – 291 g – 292 g.

Unused old stock

A notable aspect of this lot is the unused condition. The unglazed backsides are predominantly clean and show no thick lime mortar or plaster residues indicating prior mounting.

There are locally present white glaze/production traces, kiln discolorations and other irregularities associated with manufacture. The yellow/beige to ocher-colored ceramic body is clearly visible on the unglazed backsides and edges.

On the back of one specimen there is also an old handwritten price or stock note. The writing appears to indicate price and/or stock administration, but the exact reading, dating and original currency cannot be determined with certainty. This detail has therefore deliberately not further interpreted.

Condition

Good authentic condition for the age and particularly interesting due to the unused condition. The tin glaze shows an extensive fine to locally coarser craquelure network, alongside normal kiln and glaze irregularities, slight discolorations, superficial signs of age and local small chips on edges and corners.

One specimen has a clearly larger corner loss and is also the lightest specimen of the series (273 g). As far as can be visually observed there are no large ongoing cracks or major restorations.

The tiles have not been intensely cleaned or restored; the production- and ageing-related traces present have been preserved.

The photos show the exact twelve tiles of the lot, including the differences in size, thickness, weight, painting hand, craquelé, edges and backs, and form an integral part of this description.