Tiles in Luxury Apartments
BAKED, VIBRANTLY COLOURED TILES WERE once the product of a potter's wheel or the handiwork of artists who spent days crafting them. Today, tiles - like everything else - can be mass produced by machines, in any amount and practically any dimension. India traces its tile history back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Excavations at Mohenjodaro and Harappa reveal that potters crafted some of the most exquisite blue coloured terracotta tiles, which were used for roofing, flooring and to clad public spaces, like the Great Outdoor Baths. The tiles now found in museum across India, date back to almost 2500 B.C.”The craftsmanship is absolutely fine“, says historian Rupa Ganguly, attached to Mumbai University's history department.”In fact, modern day blue pottery traces its roots back to the Indus Valley civilization. Their tiles were all made of clay and are popularly known as terracotta tiles.
“After the Indus valley civilization, references to the use of decorative, handmade tiles are found in travelogues written about the Mangalore, a small coastal town in Karnataka. Architect Clement DeSylva reveals, “From mohenjadaro’s baked and unbaked tiles to the red clay Mangalore tiles, India has a long tradition. Today, because of the proliferation of farm houses, you find an extensive use of Mangalore tiles. Go to Bhaucha Dhakka (port in Mumbai), and you will find boats which have ferried tiles wrapped in straw from Mangalore to Mumbai. "
A company in Kerala, he reveals makes some delightful glazed Mangalore tiles, so you also get them in shades of orange, green and blue. Goa is perhaps one state that carries forward the tradition of delicious looking handmade tiles. “Portuguese used tiles as a art form, “reveals DeSylva. You can still buy handmade Portuguese tiles, (also known as Goan tiles) from a tiny store called Velha Goa in Fountainhas, a heritage strip at Panjim; or at the Baga-based shop, Casa Goa, which stocks tiles with a design beautiful enough to frame as wall art The Western world began using tiles when the Spain-based United Dutch East India Company imported blue and white Chinese porcelain. Though expensive, they went on to become a rage. The Dutch potters tried to imitate Chinese porcelain, but failed because they were not familiar with the firing techniques. However, in the 17th century, potters in the town of Delft created a superior earthenware product, which came to be known as Delftware.
Clay was shaped, dried and given a first firing. Tiles were then glazed with liquid white tin gaze.. e design was pricked through on a piece of paper and when laid on the tile, the pattern was transferred to the tile by 'pouncing' through the holes with charcoal. The outline of e was clear enough for the painter to complete the painting. The tiles were fired a second time at a temperature of 1000 degree Celsius. In special cases, tiles were also fired third time in a muffle-kiln at a lower -temperature, which helped emphasize colours.
The use of Chinese patterns in blue on white in high quality Delftware made them look similar Chinese porcelain. Other countries like Italy and Netherlands created their own brand of handmade tiles. Majolica floor tiles, a famous Italian product, proved too delicate for heavy sage. So, in 18th century Italy, tiles moved from oars to the walls. Single tiles and tile-pictures (multiple tiles combined to make a picture) were used in kitchens, around fireplaces and as baseboards where floors met walls.
As the Netherlands is built on rivers, canals and alongside the sea, tiles were used for insulation and protection against water, which often seeped into the Dutch homes. Netherlands, in fact, exported tiles and tile pictures (the first usage of tiles as an art form) to countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and Britain. The earliest usage of tiles in the Western world was for flooring in churches, huge homes and other institutional buildings. Only the wealthy could afford them! More than half the churches in Britain are paved, at least in part, with decorative tiles that display striking pictorial panels.
TILES IN MODERN INTERIORS
By the 19th century, advances in machinery or making pottery undermined the demand for the handmade tiles. Ceramic tiles were the first to be machine made.
The first samples of glazed ceramic used in architecture dates back to the end of the 12th century. Experts seem to connect the techniques used and their profuse application with Persian architecture, and suspect that the families of potters that emigrated from Turkey to Andalusia in Iran, could have influenced the development of arabesque tiling in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Today, because of the advancement in technological processes, ceramic tiles are available in various colours, textures and finishes. The range in the market goes from designer or artistic ones, to hand painted tiles, ones that look like marble, granite or leather. By definition, ceramic is a product similar to earthenware or porcelain, made essentially from a non-metallic mineral such as clay by firing it at high temperatures. Because of their porous nature, they are not a good material to use for outdoor wall cladding.
The sea change in technology has resulted in the manufacture of newer kinds of tiles. "The advancement has led to the extensive use of machine-made tiles. The tile-making process is completely automated and they are made to exacting specification, under controlled condition:' informs architect Alfaz Miller.
"Earlier, even mosaic tiles were manufactured by using a hand mould. Now, you get machines which churn out mosaic tiles. If you use tiles in very large areas, like in offices or huge buildings which stretch over a few lakh square feet, it is natural to go in for machine-made tiles." Unlike handmade ones, machine made tiles like vitrified tiles or joint free tiles are maintenance free and cost much less. "They are stronger than natural stone or tiles, “adds architect Rajiv Saini, "and the quality is superior. They are fired at higher temperatures and because of the use of high end machines they do not bend from the firing."