Boch Frères Handmade Ceramic Tile Floor c.70 sq ft.
Exceptional Handmade French Ceramic Floor with Original Triple Border
Ceramiques de Boch Frères, Maubeuge (Nord), France c.1881-1900
Among the most celebrated ceramic manufacturers of nineteenth-century Europe, Boch Frères of Maubeuge earned an international reputation for the quality, innovation and artistic refinement of its architectural ceramics. Their floors adorned prestigious townhouses, public buildings, churches and country estates throughout France, Belgium and beyond, and the company received numerous international awards, including the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889.
This remarkable floor appears in the original Boch Frères catalogue under the title 'Fond Renaissance', providing exceptional documented provenance. The elegant Renaissance Revival design combines powder blue, warm grey, ivory and ochre with richly ornamented borders to create a floor of exceptional architectural presence.
Manufactured between 1881 and 1900, every one of these tiles, weighing 3lbs each, was individually handmade, and then high-fired, reflecting the remarkable quality of Boch Frères production that makes them as beautiful, unique and robust as they day they were made, well over 125 years ago.
The floor has been slowly and painstakingly restored, following its reclamation, and as is the case with all our floors it arrives ready to relay. Exuding a beautiful patina, subtle tonal variation, occasional edge nibbles and grout-able chips, it delivers the warmth and uniqueness of a heritage French antique ceramic floor.
Covering approximately 70 sq ft, it is suitable for entrance halls, kitchens, conservatories, orangeries, luxury bathrooms and boutique commercial interiors, and is compatible with underfloor heating.
Technical Specification
- Manufacturer: Boch Frères, Maubeuge (Nord), France
- Date: c.1881–1900
- Pattern: Fond Renaissance
- Provenance: Original Boch Frères catalogue – 1881 and 1900
- Tile:- Handmade highly fired 1,100F degree ceramic encaustic
- Tile Size: 6.9-inch square field and large borders plus half size border tiles
- Surface Area: Approx. 70 sq ft
- Weight: Approx. 3 lb. each
- Condition: Excellent condition with beautiful patina, minor edge nibbles, grout-able chips
- Underfloor Heating: Suitable
- Application: Interior and Exterior applications, can be fixed to floors and walls
- Tile Counts: Available on request
Note:-
Our antique tiles were originally handmade in single or two tile molds. Pre-computer fabrication these molds were machined by hand & the colour slips to create the tile were mixed by measure and eye. When firing the tiles, the kiln temperatures of c.1,100F degrees could also be variable. The result of this production process is that tiles made during this period of non-automation often display subtle size & thickness variations and there can be tonal variations in colors, all of which add to their charm and uniqueness. When photographing a floor, we always take a random section so that it is representative of the whole in tones and patina.
A rigorous quality control during the restoration process will include in the sale any tiles with groutable small chips and edge nibbles, expected of tiles more than 100 years old, but include for free any with larger defaults as rejects, which the tiler can then use for offcuts.
Can we help?
If you can provide a technical drawing, or a simple sketch with key dimensions, we are happy to assist in evaluating and recommending the best layout of the floor in your area of choice. Click here for more details