Show tiles tile for flooring used asfar as far back as in 1222 in the middle aves ages tiles were used tor for flooring in the churches and other religious buildings one of the earliest references to tiles is a grant given by king don fernando el santo santa in 1222 for the making of tiles at talavera spain the manufacture of tiles in that country was imported by the arabs it attained great importance in the middle ages and is an industry in spain it Ss is said the alcazar at seville is a 0 perfect museum of tiles they borm form the principal color motif of the gardens and attract as much attention if not more than the flowers observes a writer in the los angeles times in england we find they attained a high degree of excellence as early as the thirteenth century and continued being manufactured until the sixteenth and even in some districts until the eighteenth century some of the english tiles of this time are most interesting on one from liverpool are the words prosperity to the united states in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries tile was largely used in holland the dutch tiles often show chinese influence in design as the delft painters were familiar with oriental porcelain brought to their country by the dutch east india companies besides a blue on a white ground other colors such as green purple and yellow were used with a heavy layer of glaze over all bouquets of flowers and birds after the chinese manner were subjects for decoration their paintings declined in the eighteenth century |