The Tantalizing History Of Tile Art

In Rome, mosaics adorned almost every floor from the heart of the empire to its most remote provinces. For as much as these mosaics were works of art, they also retold essential stories ranging from mythological narratives to scenes from history. One of the most impressive surviving examples is The Alexander Mosaic, a magnificent floor mosaic created around 100 B.C. for an elite Roman household in the coastal town of Pompeii. Retelling Alexander’s defeat of Darius III of Persia, it is considered one of the most intricate and spectacular examples of a floor mosaic to survive (albeit partially) from the ancient world.

Tile work became even more brilliant during the Byzantine era (4th-14th centuries), when gilded and jewel-toned tesserae transformed scenes into glowing works of wonder. This splendor can be seen exceptionally well in the 13th-century Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, where even the façade is adorned with gleaming mosaic work.

The brilliance and intricate patterning established during this Byzantine era was revived during the late years of the 19th century, as enameled and glass art tile came into popularity during the ages of Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Channeling the beautiful colors and geometric genius from examples from the Byzantine and Eastern traditions, masters such as Louis Comfort Tiffany ensured with his late 19th-century designs, that elaborate tile and mosaic work would continue to be revered in the most elegant interiors. Examples such as Tiffany’s installations at Oyster Bay’s Laurelton Hall (now reconstructed in New York’sMetropolitan Museum of Art) reveal this magnificence and reinforce why tile art is such an enduring artistic presence.