Classic English homes used tiles as fixtures to reinvigorate a gloomy fireplace or backsplash as much as works of art to grace a wall or side table. The handmade tiles featured hand paints and adhesive patterns that were signs of the times. Spanning the Victorian era from 1837 to 1901, the Gothic and Romantic rejected the classical style of repressed elegance and instead embraced less artificial geometric schemes. Art Nouveau closed this period with an emphasis on natural forms, especially floral patterns. Reproduction of Victorian tiles bearing the hallmarks of the original Romantic era, in geometric and floral designs taken from genuine 19th century patterns.
Romanticism, the largest Victorian movement, celebrated sentimentality and it was evident in architecture and design. A Gothic revival of medieval church architecture from the 12th to 16th centuries ushered in the Victorian period with renewed normality in the face of the Georgian neoclassical era that preceded it in 1714 to 1830. Neoclassicism was itself a rejection of Baroque ornamentation and Rococo of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Romantics followed suit, rejecting rationalism and popularizing the geometric patterns of Gothic monasteries. As low-cost substitutes for vintage Victorian tiles, reproduction Victorian tiles don’t come cheap on quality. They are durably constructed from materials such as travertine, slate, quarry, porcelain, marble, limestone, granite, glass, ceramic, unglazed and vitrified stone.
Authentic Victorian-era tiles benefited from bright ceramic coloring and lead glaze techniques that are considered dangerous in modern times. Today’s Victorian tiles come to life with rich hues on various surfaces and finishes, from textured to satin, matte, glossy, glass and encaustic. Genuine Victorian tiles were hand colored and laid with romantic details that were not always geometric. Once Britain opened up to world trade, Oriental, Persian, Japanese and Mexican influences were seen. The arrival of the printing press made possible the pictorial line, and the majolica, fantasy tiling. Art Nouveau with its flowing curves really took root in the 1890s, not the late Edwardian period from 1901 to 1910.
Reproduction Victorian floor tiles have numerous adaptable indoor and outdoor uses. These include wet rooms such as bathrooms and swimming pool interiors, walkways, balconies, lobbies and corridors, sun rooms and other conservatories, patios, footpaths, corridors, kitchens, especially countertops. Victorian quarries make a great baking stone as they have endured more heat during forming compared to the normal stainless steel oven and stove. These vintage reproduction mosaics are respectful of the famous era during the reign of Queen Victoria in Great Britain and Ireland.
