Examples of various ceramic inlaid tile patterns in Oxford Cathedral, chiefly from the Lady Chapel and the Latin Chapel. Inlaid tiles, or encaustic tiles as they are also called, are fired clay tiles with a simple pattern picked out in a clay inlay of a contrasting colour, usually white on a red ground. They may be purely ornamental, and some patterns occupy just a single tile, in others it takes sets of four, nine or sixteen tiles to create a complete pattern. The occurrence of armorial heraldic decoration suggests evidence or illustration of property, other designs could represent sacred emblems. These examples date variously from the late 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the period of the English Gothic style of architecture. Details from: Glossary of Terms used in Gothic Architecture, 4th Edition 1855 John Henry Parker. |