What is a sectile tile panel?
A sectile tile panel (Dutch: sectieltableau) is a picture made of tiles in which the tiles are not square but are cut so that the joints follow the main lines of the image. The principle is similar to leaded glass, where the glass is also cut along the contours of the picture. As a result, no arbitrary straight joints run through faces, figures or lettering, as they do in an ordinary tile panel made of square tiles.
Features:
- irregularly shaped tile pieces that together form the picture;
- often matt and unglazed, made of fine, hard-fired stoneware, which makes them more resistant to weather and frost than glazed tiles;
- colours largely applied in the body of the material, sometimes supplemented with painting;
- the joint as a deliberate part of the drawing, comparable to the lead lines in leaded glass.
Application
The sectile technique was developed around 1900 at De Porceleyne Fles in Delft, among others by co-director Adolf le Comte and glaze technician Heinrich Wilhelm Mauser. The idea was to make tiles better suited to exterior use on facades. The technique was presented at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, where it won an award.
Sectile tile panels are mainly found on facades, shopfronts, entrances and stairwells of buildings from the Art Nouveau period (Nieuwe Kunst) and the early twentieth century, for example as an advertisement, name board or decorative panel.
Tips for owners of a building with a sectile tile panel:
- Clean gently: use lukewarm water and a soft brush. No pressure washer, acids or abrasives: these can damage the surface and the joints.
- Joints and moisture: loose or cracked joints let water get behind the tiles. In frost, pieces can then come loose. Have the joints repaired in good time with a mortar that matches the original.
- Keep loose pieces: if a piece falls off, keep it. A conservator can usually put it back.
- Heritage value: sectile tile panels are rare. In the Netherlands, consult the municipality when renovating the facade and call in a ceramics conservator. Other countries have their own rules; check with your local planning or heritage authority.
Related Terms
- Art Nouveau
- Leaded glass
- Mosaic
- Facade
- Listed building
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