Who made this?
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.
Tile makers, certainly those who made decorated floor tiles, were specialists within their fields. With knowledge on a variety of methods on decoration, mixing different clay types, creating glazes, or even the construction of the kiln, these tilers had the expertise that surpassed those of roof tilers. Artists were responsible for the design and the carvers then applied them to creating a stamp out of the decoration. Artists and carvers commissioned by the court may have been the same person at times- but the tile maker was a much more specialized individual capable of handling the technical care present Chertsey tiles.
In the thirteenth century, tilers were paid a daily wage and also rations of food. Many who worked for the king manufactured these tiles as near as possible to where they would be laid. At first, these decorated tiles could only be afforded by royals or members of the religious houses- but in the coming decades the demand would only increase from wealthy merchants and magnates. For floor-tilers, they would usually stay in a tilery all his working life or transfer locations when the demand had been met in a specific area. As a result, many decorative floor tile makers would join a tilery based on roof tiles than set up in a new location. The benefits outweighed the costs as the tiler maker would own his own clay pit, have access to fuel, and also with a steady organized system in which to distribute these tiles.
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. Excess clay was at times used to carry out any need repairs to the kilns.
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. Two-color decorated floor tiles became a fundamental aspect of Gothic buildings, and it became one of the most prominent tiles throughout England.
Commissioned by the court of King Henry III and Elanor of Provence. Possibly, the same artist of the Westminster Abbey Chapter house.