Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece

Who made this?

The tiles were designed and formatted from sketches of a craftsperson employed by the court of King Henry III and Eleanor. The molds for the tiles were created from wood or cast from a metal by craftspeople working for the court. The text were inscribed later, but written at first by an educated individual at the court. The molds were then brought to Chertsey when they were used by local tile-makers to be transferred into clay designs. The tile-makers processed the clay, and used the molds sent by the court to make the tiles before firing them. We know little about the true identity of the tile-makers at Chertsey, but presumably they have been trained in the techniques of clay manufacture for years. The complicated and technical excellence of the tiles suggest that the mastering of this technique of tile-making required years of practice.  

Due to the expertise and quality labor in order to create these tiles during the 13th century, tiles like such were only commissioned to furnish religious spaces like abbeys, churches, or royal palaces. Tile makers had limited resources to create the Chertsey tile at the time– with required resources stemming from water and clay to wood to fire the kilns. 

For tile-making, an emphasis on season was essential for the process to be successful. Manufacturers would plow for clay in the winter and allow it to "weather" until the warmer months. Once in a drier state, they would mold and then fire the tiles. The type of clay varied in respect to different regions, and the technique used to mold the clay depended on the decoration technique. The majority of the processes highlight the molding of the clay, glazing, and then firing in the kiln. 

Medieval kilns were constructed of two or more rectangular furnace chambers constructed below ground with one of the chambers being on top of them. It's here where the actual firing took place. Proper firing required temperatures of 1,000, yet with no devices to accurately measure temperatures inside the kiln manufacturers had to rely on prior experience. 



Tile manufacturing became more commercial in the 14th century, as the demand accrued, and they would begin work in production centers and paid in accordance with the amount produced. 

Per the Tristan and Isolde tile, which is an inlaid (two-color tile), the manufacturing process required multiple steps. First the base tile was molded, and stamped with a raised design. The impression that was then left was filled with white slip clay before being glazed and fired. What is interesting to note is that the origins of inlaid tiles are likely from France in the early 13th century– which is why there was an initial presumption of the Chertsey tiles stemming from there. 

Commissioned by the court of King Henry III and Elanor of Provence. Possibly, the same artist of the Westminster Abbey Chapter house. 

 

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