Price guide to antique and vintage Chinese tiles.

Chinese ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles, to hand-built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns, to the sophisticated Chinese porcelain wares made for the imperial court and for export. Porcelain is so identified with China that it is still called “china” in everyday English usage. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Chinese Tiles appeared first on Antique Ceramics.

Below are some examples of the diamond registration marks used on British antiques and a list of date letters and months for you to identify. Some exceptions were made but overall these are an ideal way of identifying the marks.

Diamond registration marked used between 1842 to 1867

This diamond registration mark was found on a Minton ceramic ware. The Roman numerals at the top, IV, signify that the item is ceramic. The “z” which is underneath signifies the year 1860. Please see below for the complete list of year letters. The “H” stands for the month of April, the 12 is the day and the 4 represents the parcel number. Rd stands for the word Registered.

Diamond registration mark used between 1868 to 1883

In 1868 the registration mark changed slightly. The upper Roman numeral stayed the same eg IV for ceramics but the day moved to the spot underneath the classification and the year moved to the right. In the example on the left the I stands for the year 1872. The E stands for the month of May and the parcel number is on the left.

Month Date Letters for 1842 – 1867

A	December		H	April
B	October		I	July
C	January		K	November
D	September		M	June
E	May		R	August
G	February		W	March

Year Letters for 1842 – 1867

A	1845		J	1854		S	1849
B	1858		K	1857		T	1867
C	1844		L	1856		U	1848
D	1852		M	1859		V	1850
E	1855		N	1864		W	1865
F	1847		O	1862		X	1842
G	1863		P	1851		Y	1853
H	1843		Q	1866		Z	1860
I	1846		R	1861

Month Letters 1868 – 1883

A	December		H	April
B	October		I	July
C	January		K	November
D	September		M	June
E	May		R	August
G	February		W	March

Year Letters 1868 – 1883

A	1871		L	1882
C	1870		P	1877
D	1878		S	1875
E	1881		U	1874
F	1873		V	1876
H	1869		X	1868
I	1872		Y	1879
J	1880
K	1883

The post Diamond Registration Marks appeared first on Antique Ceramics.

Below are some examples of English tiles including some Minton tiles depicting Kate Greenaway characters and an English Delft apothecary tile.

GREENAWAY – T & R BOOTE AND MINTON TILES
Twenty-six tiles in various sets, earthenware, dust-pressed body with transfer-printed illustrations depicting children at play and the four seasons, after designs by Kate Greenaway, bordered with Aesthetic Movement Japonesque motifs, reverse of 18 tiles with printed diamond registration marks, 4 polychrome tiles with moulded marks for ‘Minton’s China Works Stoke on Trent’, 155 x 155mm., 1881 and 1883 (26)

Sold for £382.50 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2022

AN ENGLISH DELFT DATED ROYAL ARMORIAL POLYCHROME HEART-SHAPED APOTHECARY’S TILE
DATED 1664

Painted in ochre and blue with the royal arms below the initials CR for Charles Rex and 1664 and above the motto BEATI PASSIFISI in a cartouche, at the bottom the initials NB joined by a strapwork flourish, pierced twice at the top for hanging
9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high

Sold for USD 56,250 at Christie’s in 2020

Medieval English Heraldic Tile with Crowned Lion’s Heads

15th century A.D. A glazed ceramic floor tile decorated with three crowned lion heads with protruding tongues and large eyes, framed by the bottom half of a shield-shaped background. 983 grams, 13.3 x 13.3 cm (5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.”)

Sold for £120 at TimeLine Auctions Ltd in 2022

The post English Tiles appeared first on Antique Ceramics.

Price guide to antique and vintage Islamic tiles.

Between the 8th and 18th centuries, the use of ceramic glaze was prevalent in Islamic art, usually assuming the form of elaborate pottery. Tin-opacified glazing was one of the earliest new technologies developed by the Islamic potters. The first Islamic opaque glazes can be found as blue-painted ware in Basra, dating to around the 8th century.  Another contribution was the development of fritware, originating from 9th-century Iraq. Other centers for innovative ceramic pottery in the Old world included Fustat (from 975 to 1075), Damascus (from 1100 to around 1600) and Tabriz (from 1470 to 1550). Reference: Wikipedia

Early Islamic mosaics in Iran consist mainly of geometric decorations in mosques and mausoleums, made of glazed brick. Typical turquoise tiling becomes popular in 10th-11th century and is used mostly for Kufic inscriptions on mosque walls. Seyyed Mosque in Isfahan (AD 1122), Dome of Maraqeh (AD 1147) and the Jame Mosque of Gonabad (1212 AD) are among the finest examples. The dome of Jame’ Atiq Mosque of Qazvin is also dated to this period.

Tumurid turquoise-glazed muqarna. First half of the 15th century, Shah-i-Zinda
The golden age of Persian tilework began during the reign the Timurid Empire. In the moraq technique, single-color tiles were cut into small geometric pieces and assembled by pouring liquid plaster between them. After hardening, these panels were assembled on the walls of buildings. But the mosaic was not limited to flat areas. Tiles were used to cover both the interior and exterior surfaces of domes. Reference: Wikipedia

The post Islamic Tiles appeared first on Antique Ceramics.