California Art Tile Company, Richmond, CA 1922-1956 From Norman Karlson’s collection comes this lovely 3-dimensional vintage tile. Leaves are placed in a diagonal square and there are birds, perhaps eagles, in the corners. The matte glazes are deep teal in the recesses and buff on the surface. A similar tile can be seen in [...]
J & J G Low Art Tile Works, Chelsea, MA 1877-1902 This dust-pressed antique tile has a simple raised geometric pattern and very glossy glazing. Most of Low’s tiles were made using this method and all are over 111 years old now. See this tile in Norman Karlson’s Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 1, [...]
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 1910-1967 This vintage commemorative tile celebrates UND’s Parent Day, June 1936. The matte brown glaze covers the sides and there is a pretty floral motif in the center of this 3-dimensional tile. This is from Norman Karlson’s collection and appears in his first book “American Art Tile [...]
Made in Portugal Circa late 1800′s Very old tile has been reclaimed from walls in Portugal. Because the Portuguese government passed a law against removing old tile from buildings for export, tiles like this have become very rare and expensive. The law was passed AFTER Norman Karlson obtained his vast collection. We have a [...]
American Encaustic Tiling Co., Los Angeles, CA 1919-1933 Lovely floral motif has bright glossy glazes and a smooth surface. AET had a plant in Zanesville, OH as well as Hermosa Beach, CA where they made more colorful tiles. This tile can be seen in the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles by Norman Karlson. [...]
American Encaustic Tiling Co., Los Angeles, CA 1919-1933 From AET’s plant on the West coast comes this pretty floral tile with Moorish influences. It has excellent color separation and a glossy finish. See this in Norman Karlson’s Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6, page 26. 6″ square x 1/2″ thick Excellent condition; never [...]
Franklin Tile Company, Lansdale, PA 1923-1935 A bowl of daffodils is depicted on this tile from Norman Karlson’s collection. It has great color separation and both matte and glossy glazes in five colors. This same tile is pictured in Mr.Karlson’s Encyclopedia of American Art Tile, Region 2, page 212. 8 1/2″ square x 5/16″ [...]
Made in Holland, circa 1890-1900 Bright glazes have a glossy finish on this antique 8-tile panel from Holland. It has a pretty floral/geometric pattern with a smooth surface. Each tile measures 5 1/8″. Use this as a focal point in a back splash, make a tile table, etc. 20 3/4″ x 10 1/4″ x [...]
Cantagalli, Florance, Italy c.1940′s From the little information available on this company, there is evidence that it was a family business and was in existence from the late 1800′s thru 1985. This signed tile has a smooth surface and many bright, glossy glaze colors. The central theme, a fruit bowl is surrounded by stylized [...]
Helen Greenleaf Lane, Upland, CA c.1920-1929 One of four talented sisters, Helen Greenleaf Lane made jewelry, pottery and tile and studied with potter Glen Lukins at USC. This signed tile depicts a little bird sitting on a branch among the flowers. It has a glossy finish with grazing. It comes from Norman Karlson’s collection, [...]
Made in Italy Approximately 150-200 years old Norman Karlson, author of Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, has traveled all over the world and collected a hugh amount of tile during his lifetime. This lovely tile comes from Italy and has the expected wear and patina one would expect from tile this old. The central [...]
Batchelder, Los Angeles, CA 1909-1932 Matte blue glazing covers this deeply-molded, vintage tile. The centered flower is surrounded by a band of dots with stylized leaves in the corners. This is from Norman Karlson’s large tile collection; a similar tile can be seen in his Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6, page 75. [...]
Made in Holland, circa 1935 A pretty floral motif decorates this wall tile from Holland and comes from Norman Karlson’s collection. It has four glazes with a glossy finish. 5 1/8″ square x 1/4″ thick Very good condition; minor edge wear Qty = 8 pcs $90 each
Made in England, circa 1720-1750 From Norman Karlson’s vast collection of antique tile comes this selection of very old Delft-style tiles made in England. Copied from the Dutch, these tiles represent landscape scenes and country life. Powdered blue octagonal borders have flower head corners. This is just a sample of what we [...]
Wheeling Tile Company, Wheeling, WVA 1913-1960 Multiple glaze colors go pretty together on this vintage tile from West Virginia. Raised lines create the design and separate the glazes, which have a matte finish except for the glossy black. See this in Norman Karlson’s encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 2, page 241. 6″ square [...]
Wheeling Tile Company, Wheeling, WVA 1913-1960 Made with raised lines, this vintage tile has an abstract design with two matte glaze colors. This comes from Norman Karlson’s collection and can be seen in his Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 2, page 242. 6″ square x 3/8″ thick Good condition; has some edge chips [...]
Mosaic Tile Company, Zanesville, OH 1894-1972 An image of an eagle is recessed into the rich red clay and glazed with matte cobalt. Mosaic Tile Company was in direct competition with American Encaustic Tiling Co., also of Zanesville, and many of their tiles have a similar look. Mosaic started out making buff clay floor [...]
Trent Tile Company, Trenton, NJ 1882-1939 These incredible tiles were modeled by William W. Gallimore, a talented artist who came to Trent approximately 1886. The shepherdess has her lamb by her side, while the shepherd holds a baby lamb along with his staff. They are beautifully executed and very glossy glazing. While [...]
Tudor Potteries, Los Angeles, CA 1927-1931 This is another version of a vintage Tudor tile depicting a rosette or medallion. Very glossy black glazing covers the 3-dimensional flower. 3 3/4″ square x 1/2″ thick Very good condition; some corner and minor surface wear; signed Qty = 1 $40
Tudor Potteries, Los Angeles, CA 1927-1931 Although not in business for very long, Tudor produced some handsome tiles. Here is an example of a deeply-molded, high-glazed tile with a floral motif. See one similar to this in Norman Karlson’s Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6, page 280. We also have one with black [...]
Tropico, Glendale, CA 1920-1928 Gold glaze contracts sharply with the matte black and red-orange on this vintage California tile. This comes from Norman Karlson’s collection, but does not appear in his Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles. This company was in business only three years before being bought out by Gladding McBean. 6″ square x 1/2″ [...]
Trent Tile Company, Trenton, NJ 1882-1939 Known for their dust-pressed tiles, Trent made a wide variety of scenic tiles featuring cherubs, animals and scenes with children and adults. These antique, very 3-dimensional tiles each have a bird on the hand of a child or maybe young adult. High glazed deep brown is thinner [...]
Mosaic Tile Company, Zanesville, OH 1894-1972 A combination of matte and glossy glazes add to the simple charm of this vintage tile from Mosaic. Three leaves overlap creating an interesting look. 4 1/4″ square x 1/2″ thick Great condition; signed Qty = 1 $50
Standard Tile Company, Zanesville, OH 1923-1943 This little-known company specialized in solid color, commercial wall tiles. This vintage Standard tile depicts a dutch girl and has nice workmanship and excellent color separation. Pretty glaze colors have a glossy finish. A similar tile can be seen in Norman Karlson’s Encyclopedia of American [...]
Standard Tile Company, Zanesville, OH 1923-1943 Raised lines separate the glazes on this vintage tile from Standard. A simple bowl of fruit is depicted with both matte and glossy glazes. Not much is known about this company; they mainly produced commercial wall tile. See a similar tile in Norman Karlson’s Encyclopedia of [...]
