Dutch tiles, how were they made?!

We all know the Dutch tile, but what is the story behind this little square? I would like to take you on a journey through the history of these little ceramic master paintings. Where did the technique come from, what influenced the designs, and for today’s story, how were they made?

The production of the ‘’Dutch’’ tile started in the early 16^th century by potters from Italy. They brought their knowledge and experience of the production of ceramics with them, but here in the Low Countries, the materials were different.  They used the local river clay for the body of the ceramic and in this early period, they still struggled to get it right. Over time this process was perfected and different materials were used.

Clay and marl was imported from the regions of Doornik (Tournai) and Brabant. This clay is rich and fat and gives a strong basis. The clay would be transported to cities as Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam and there, outside the city, mixed in certain proportions with local clay. Before the clay could be used in the factories/workshops, it had to be washed to remove impurities. This mixture was put in containers, allowing the water to evaporate. After this, the clay was cut into pieces, transported to the workshops, and stored in a damp cellar for production. #interesting fact: ‘Did you know that the workshops used to be located in random places in cities? But when they expended, they were banned to the outskirts of town, as they were a high risk of causing a fire that could destroy the city.’ Once in the workshop the clay had to be kneaded again, and after, in pieces, was rolled flat on a wooden board and cut to the size of a tile. To ensure that the clay did not shift during the cutting, nails were placed on these planks, which we see in the corners of the tile. We see two, three, or four of these so-called ‘spijkergaatjes’ (nail holes) depending on the production place. Of course, one wonders why we see these holes on the front and not at the back of the tiles, as that would be visually more beautiful. This is because the tiles were cut at an angle so that there could be placed with lime (mortar) between the joints so that the tile could be placed better secured to the wall without a large joint being visible. Grouting tiles with a wide joint is a modern technique. You will never see this with old tiling. Although most tiles have an decoration on their one, the image doesn’t stop there.

After cutting the clay, the tiles are dried. The dry tiles are then stacked in the oven to be fired at a temperature of approximately 1000 degrees Celsius. After firing, the tiles are covered with tin glaze. Tin glaze is a mixture of tin lime, fine white sand, potash, soda, and salt, which was melted together into a hard, glassy substance and then ground finely. The powder that is created is the so-called tin glaze. This powder was mixed with water and then applied to the tile. The water is absorbed by the porous tile, leaving a white layer. After this, the image was painted directly onto the tile. The dye, diluted with water, is also absorbed directly by the tile. The painting had to be right the first time, as no changes could be made due to the suction effect. You can compare this to painting frescos. Different pigments were used for the different colors. For example, cobalt oxide was used for the color blue, copper oxide for green, and a mixture of antimony and lead for yellow. In the early days, the images were painted freehand, and later stencils were used. A sheet of paper with holes in the shape of the image. This stencil was placed on the tile and then covered with a bag of charcoal so that the outline of the image was visible on the tile.

After painting, the tiles were “gekwaard”: immersed in a glaze. This gave the tile more shine. When the glaze had dried, the tile was fired again. The tiles were placed upright in the kiln, which sometimes caused the glaze to flow to one side, or if the kiln was just a little bit too hot, the whole image could be blurry. Fortunately, most of the tiles did succeed and came out of the kiln perfectly! #interesting fact: ‘Did you know that most of the workshops not only produced tiles, but also ceramic wares (maiolica) like plates, dishes, jugs, and albarello?’

After the firing, the tiles would be cleaned and sold to be enjoyed in people’s houses, abbeys, and castles.

Next week: Dutch tiles, where were they used?!