Inlaid floor tile
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1260-1290
This medieval floor tile was produced between 1260 and 1290 at Chertsey Abbey in Surrey by an unknown maker. Made of earthenware clay, the piece measures 20 centimetres in height, 19.8 centimetres in width, and 3.6 centimetres in depth, with a recorded weight of 1.28 kilograms. Eight surviving fragments of the tile have been set into a modern backing material that reproduces the original dimensions of the complete square tile.
The surface decoration was created by inlaying white clay into the tile body. Originally designed as one quadrant of a larger four-tile symmetrical composition, the design includes two concentric quarter-circular bands. These bands enclose a border of scrolling foliage surrounding a central quarter-roundel, while the exterior corner outside the outer band is likewise filled with scrolling foliage. When arranged alongside three companion tiles bearing the identical design, the four quadrants formed a unified square panel displaying a circular motif.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Pavements of decorated ceramic tiles were introduced during the medieval period to decorate churches and later secular buildings, including royal residences and castles. Chertsey Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in the seventh century, was dissolved in 1537 during the reign of Henry VIII. Tile fragments from the site were recovered during nineteenth-century excavations, notably in 1852 and 1861, and this piece was later transferred from H.M. Office of Works.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Tile
- Museum object number
- 447:2-1905
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.