Medieval Tile Designs

Littleremainsofthedecorativeceramictilesthatoncepavedthefloorsofmedievalchurchesandcathedrals.Abradedbytimeanduse，stolenbycollectors，orcoveredbynewflooring，thesehandsomeornamentalpavingstones(alsoknownas"encaustictiles")havebecomerarities.Thispractical，inexpensive，andcomprehensivearchive—originallypublishedinthemid-19thcentury—haspreservedmanyofthoseancientdesignsforfuturegenerations.Itrepresentsaninvaluablesourceofdesigninspirationforpermission-freeusebytoday'sartistsandcraftspeople.AdaptedlargelyfromtilemotifsthatonceadornedEnglishchurchesinWinchester，St.Cross，Romsey，andWarblington，146handsomeimagesdisplayahostofcharacteristicallymedievalpatterns—crosses，churches，fleur-de-lis，stylizedplantforms，mythologicalcreatures，stars，abstractandgeometricfigures，andotherauthenticelements.Theserichandevocativedesignscanbeusedtoenhanceahostofartandcraftprojects：woodburning，leathercraft，andstainedglasswork;fabricpainting，ceramics，enameling，stenciling，oranyotherprojectcallingforuniqueandpowerfulattention-getters.，