Dutch tiles, where were they used? Part 1

The Dutch maiolica tile has had many different uses. They were not always placed on a wall, and they were also not just for decoration. As in Italy, for example, they were mainly purely ecstatic; the Dutch, however, combined fine art and functionality. Let’s go back to the beginning and let me explain what their many uses were. 

When, at the beginning of the 16th century, tile production first started in the Netherlands, it was made in the tradition of Italian tiles, and so was their use. This new and highly exclusive product was used not as a wall tile, but as a floor or paving tile. Back then, these tiles were ordered by the elite of Northern Europe and were placed in abbeys, monasteries, castles, and houses of lords. Only a handful of examples of these floors remain, and even fewer in their original setting. 

Probably the most famous floor is the one that was originally in the Herkenrode Abby, ordered in 1532 by the abbess Mechtilde de Lexhy, from Guido Andries in Antwerp. Unfortunately, the tiles are not on the Abby floor anymore; about 500 of them were bought in 1888 by the Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis in Brussels. Also, for example, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Boijmans van Beuningen have tiles of this floor in their collection. As are sets in private collections. These tiles were still completely made in the Italian style, a style that Guido Andries brought with him from Italy.

This type of floor was one of the most famous designs: this octagonal pattern floor consists of a central square tile along which four elongated hexagonal tiles are placed. The square tile was often decorated with a portrait, figure, or animal. The elongated hexagonal tiles with an ornamental or floral decoration. Maiolica tile floors of this design are also known to be one part of; the chapel of Fère-en-Tardenois, Aisne, France; Abby Ten Duinen, Belgium; and Anjum, Friesland, the Netherlands. In archeological excavations in the city of Antwerp, castles, abbeys, and palaces in the surrounding areas, many more fragments of these tiles have been found; therefore, we can assume they were very popular at the time.

Another famous example of this kind of floor can be found in manor house the Vyne, near Basingstoke in the UK, ordered by Lord William Sandys in the 1520s. Parts of this elaborately designed floor can still be viewed in the Chapel of the estate, which I highly recommend. The tiles are not in the original setting anymore, but are still a highlight of the Antwerp maiolica tile production. The designs on this floor are much more extensive than the Herkenrode type examples. 

Another highlight of maiolica floors is the one in the chapel of Castle Rameyenhof, in Gestel, Belgium. Not only is this floor specifically designed for the hexagonal chapel, but it is also the only floor we know of that is still in its original place! Ordered around 1527 probably by, or in memory of, bailiff and margrave Jan van Immerseel. 

One of the most intriguing floors ever made is the floor from Breda Castle. This floor consists of mysterious eye tiles in a yellow cross version and a blue star version, which were probably surrounded by a ribbon of the blue and yellow winding tiles, with in the middle the round rosette tiles. 

These tiles were most likely ordered by Count Hendrik III of Nassau (1483-1538) for his new Renaissance palace in Breda, circa 1540. The eye refers to the symbol of vigilance and just government, the all-seeing deity, and serves to ward off danger. The colors blue and yellow are no surprise, as those are the colors of the coat of arms of Nassau.  

Many more interesting fragments of maiolica floors have been excavated over the past few decades, but it is challenging to obtain a comprehensive picture, as they are often very fragmentary. The image below provides an example of the diversity of these floors.

All of the floors mentioned above were made in Antwerp for elite locations. Production on nowadays Dutch soil hardly excited or has completely vanished. This has probably to do with the absence of rich abbeys, monasteries, and palaces in the protestant Dutch Republic. But there are two very rare examples of Dutch maiolica floors, one from Middelburg, and one from Deventer. 

In 1564, a son of Guido Andries settled in Middelburg to start a workshop, Joris Andries. In that time, Middelburg still had a large Abbey complex and was the centre of the newly founded Bishopric of Middelburg in 1559. After the siege of Middelburg (1572-1574), this came to an end, and the regional government of Zeeland took over the buildings. After the Allied bombing of Middelburg in the Second World War, large parts of the Abbey were destroyed. In the decades thereafter, lots of fragments of a tile floor have been found on and around the site. These tiles were probably made by the workshop of Joris Andries after 1564 and before 1574. The floor was probably made up of quatrefoil designs. With decorations of mostly fruits, but also some animals. In the centre of the quatrefoil, we see a star with a flower in the middle, the borders are decorated with grapes and pomegranates. In most cases, we see as central design acanthus leaves with a flower. More exceptional are designs with, for example, a rabbit 

The other example is from Deventer. Excavated in 1953 and was probably located in huis De Schuur. Unfortunately, due to the quick demolition of the buildings, not much more is known. Every tiles shows us a quarter of the design, which is divided over four tiles. Put four together, and in the center appears a rosette. Next to the rosette, we see two dolphin heads with curled achantus leaves as tails. And next leaf ornaments from which grows a flower. The origin of these tiles remains unknown, they could have been made in Harlingen, as similar tiles have been excavated there. Only the first workshop didn’t open until 1598, and these tiles seem to be of a much earlier production date. An interesting, similar design we can find on a set of four Spanish tiles from Barcelona from the collection of the V&A in London, circa 1550. The question is, who inspired whom?

At the end of the 16th century, in the young and very wealthy Dutch Republic, the tiles slowly moved from the floor to the walls and became available to the broad public. Not only the elite, but everybody adorned their houses with exclusive maiolica tiles. 

Next up: tiles on the wall!

Literature:

Field research

Antwerps? Antwerps! – Frans Caignie (2004)
De majolicategels van Ten Duinen gepositioneerd in de Antwerpse majolicategelproductie – Frans Caignie (2006)
Majolicategels uit het kasteel van Egmont te Zottegem – Frans Caignie en Tony Oost (2003)
Majolicavloertegels: een overzicht – Frans Caignie en Guido van den Eynde – uit Over de vloer. Met voeten getreden erfgoed. (2008)
Onbekende majolica vloertegels – uit Mededelingenblad Vrienden van de Nederlandse Ceramiek, 21 – Alex Dorgerlo (1961)
Tegels op Walcheren – uit Mededelingen van het Koninklijk Zeeuwsch Genootschap der Wetenschappen – A.J. Gierveld (1997)