Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/584

 474: The Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal. ' [Jan., referred to, viz., the Sixteenth century; and the modern manufacture may there- fore be looked upon as a revival, similar to that of stained glass, with some de- cided improvements in an ancient art. The credit of this has been attributed to Messrs. Minton & Co., of Stoke-upon- Trent, England ; and great commenda- tion is justly due to these gentlemen, for the liberal spirit with which they have endeavored to restore, in its primi- tive beauty, this once-flourishing system of decoration. The example they set has had a beneficial influence in ad- vancing the manufacture, by stimulating others to show what could be done, and by directing public attention to the novelty and its many useful applica- tions. At the present time, this branch of art is one of very considerable im- portance ; and in great demand, not only for ecclesiastical buildings, but for domestic architecture. In England, the employment of these tiles, for flooring purposes, has been in force these many years, for churches, royal and noble mansions, club-houses, and other public and private buildings. In the new Houses of Parliament, in London, where durability and beauty of design and effect were the points aimed at without any regard to expense, it was used to a very large extent, and has been found, after the test of several years, to have proved most successful in places exposed to the greatest wear and tear. Only comparatively at a very recent date, the introduction of this material has been appreciated by our country- men ; and it is now coming rapidly into very general favor, as an elegant, taste- ful, and, at the same time, economical substitute, for the different descriptions, that have been in use hitherto. Previous to the application of these tiles in our architecture, we were, per- force, obliged to use marble, as a mate- rial for floors ; and although the marble- cutters, at a great expense and labor, varied the shape of their black and white tiles, still the effect produced by these did not vary much from the common chequers ; and owners of private dwell- ings, after wainscoting their halls, and painting walls and ceilings, were com- pelled to use perishable oilcloth for their halls and vestibules, or else, marble tiles of a pattern common to bar-rooms, thea- tres, and halls. The encaustic tiles, which are now available, and in great request for the purpose, are composed of materials so hard, that they may be said to be in- destructible : the colors are as durable as the material, and will not stain with acids, or any other agents. It is not even possible to scratch, or disfigure the face of these tiles with the hardest wear ; and when once put down, they will last for centuries. Hence it is not exago-era- tion, when we pronounce them to be the most economical material, that has ever yet been discovered for flooring pur- poses ; and, at the same time, they are perfectly fire-proof. They can be procured in infinite va- riety and color, each tile being composed of three or four colors, by which means a most chaste and beautiful effect is obtained in their use for vestibules, libraries, public halls, &c. Thej' are peculiarly suitable for churches, giving a richness of decoration, which has not been customary, during the last few cen- turies ; and — there being patterns in- tended exclusively for ecclesiastical pur- poses — they can be made, by a judicious selection and adaptation, to harmonize with any stjde, in which the edifice itself may be constructed. It is, indeed, almost an act of super- erogation on our part to say much more regarding the manifold advantages which Plain and Encaustic Tiles possess over any other material, so widely ap- preciated and extensively known have they become, of late years, in the United States. The moderate cost at which they can be laid down, their great durability, and their decorative fitness for every style