A small 1m2 Boch Freres ceramic - c.1881 - lovely patina

17cm / 6.7 inch square field tiles and 17cm x 8.5cm half border tiles. 

24 field tiles plus 30 half-sized borders.

Handmade by Carrelages Ceramiques Boch Freres, Maubeuge in c. 1881, these are a robust, quality ceramic c.1.3kgs / 2.9lbs in weight, 17mm / 0.67 inches thick and with a few tiles displaying groutable edge nibbles or small chips they offer a charming antique patina. We include in the photograph gallery scans from their original catalogue showing the tiles.

The floor is small, 1m2 / 11 sq ft, and lends itself to use in a small toilet, entrance porch, as a decorative feature or as a bath or kitchen splash-back or on a shower wall or walk-in. Only one border corner tile has been recovered but, given their design, mitre corners can easily be cut from the regular borders by the tiler.

Given the small size of the floor and its weight of 50kgs, it is likely to only be economically viable to ship as part of a larger order.

NOTE Antique tiles were most commonly made in single or two tile moulds. Before current computer automation methods their moulds were made by hand and the colour slips mixed by eye. Kiln temperatures could also be variable, as could the firing time. The result is that tiles often display subtle size and thickness variations and there can be tonal variations in colours, owing to the slip mixing and/or firing time. All of this makes these handmade tiles unique and adds to their charm. Some floors display their subtle variations in size and tones, some not, but when photographing we always take a random section of the floor so that it is representative of the whole. A tiler should always dry lay a section of the tiles to familiarise himself with them before starting to fix lay.