Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/309

 DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES. 233 parts being filled up with a dark coloured cement. We are not aware that any work of this kind has been found elsewhere in England : it is however analogous to that of incised sepulchral slabs, on which coloured cements were unquestionably introduced in a similar manner, although the injuries of time have left us no perfect example. The subjects here presented are from Canterbury, and represent one of the favourite repre- sentations of the Virtues dominant over Vices, with one of a set of the operations of husbandry. The collection formed by Mr. Church, and published by Mr. Payne of Wallingford, exhibit some curious designs, found at Wallingford castle, or in various churches in Berkshire, and Oxfordshire. The representations in this pleasing monograph of a district, highly interesting to the archi- tectural student, are beautifully printed in colours, as are also the wood- cuts in Mr. Nichols* work, which materially enhances their effect''. The tiles discovered by Mr. Oldham in St. Patrick's cathedral, Dublin, and amongst the ruins of several Irish abbeys, have mostly a peculiar character, and possess great elegance of design. They bear a much closer resemblance to examples existing in Germany, at Bebenhausen, for ex- ample, in Swabia*^, and to some vestiges of decorative pavements in Nor- mandy, than can be traced amongst the numerous varieties found in England. We are inclined to assign several of them to the artificers of Flanders, whence, as proved by many records, paving tiles were exten- sively imported, even at an early period. In the Introductory remarks given by Mr. Oldham, comprising some very interesting general infor- mation on the subject, we learn that amongst the Irish specimens occur many with impressed designs, and sometimes with designs in relief as well as those of the more ordinary kind, where the impression is filled up with clay of a different colour. These varieties occasionally may be noticed in our own country, proving that several modes of fabrication were in use, and regarding these much remains to be explained by careful ex- amination. Some persons have thought that these pavements were pro- duced exclusively by ecclesiastics, and for the purpose of sacred decoration : it is remarkable, certainly, that the earlier examples mostly occur, if not exclusively, in or near churches, and private oratories in castellated or do- mestic edifices. We are indebted to ^Mr. Oldham for the notice of a singular passage in the statutes of a Cistercian chapter, in Normandy, relating ap- parently to pavements of this description, fabricated by a monk of Beaubec, who wds thenceforth forbidden to work for any but persons of that order. This occurred in the year 1210, and is a curious proof of the estimation in which this ingenious fictile art was held at that time. The Cistercian had '' The blue and yellow -tile from Dor- to know whether this blue were an en- chester church, given by ^Ir. Payne, is amelled colour, or merely a glaze, acci- unique, if the bright colour of the field be dentally coloured in the kiln, correct. We regret that these interesting c See the " Bakstcinpliittchen" repre- woodcuts are not accompanied by descrip- scntcd in the account of the Kloster Beben- tions. It would have been very desirable hauscn, by lleinr. Graf, Tubingen, 1S'2S.