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tile
from Master Bedroom tile
from Master Bedroom
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Decorative
Tiles The 19th century Aesthetic Movement promoted the idea that objects could be both beautiful and functional and emphasized art in the home as a means to raising the quality of life. This greatly influenced the design of furniture, textiles, wallpaper, and tiles. Decorative art tiles became so popular that no household was complete without them, and Frances and John J. Glessner were great fans of this fashion. The Glessners purchased tiles to decorate an elaborately carved walnut fireplace mantel that was in the parlor of their Chicago home on Washington Street. The tiles were produced by Minton Hollins and Company, the largest tile manufacturer in England during the late 19th century. Minton produced tiles for such prestigious buildings as the Royal Palaces of Windsor, New Houses of Parliament at Westminster and the United States Capitol. The series the Glessners chose for the parlor depicts the Arthurian legend of Lancelot and Elaine, as told in Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem, Idylls of the King. The artist of the images, John Moyr Smith, who was greatly influenced by the group of artists known as The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, produced over twenty series of tiles with a variety of literary scenes. The Glessners saved the parlor mantle tiles when they moved to 1800 Prairie, proudly displaying them with other favorites on the plate rail in the Main Living Hall. The parlor mantel, designed by Aesthetic Movement designer Isaac Scott, was moved to the family's summer home in new Hampshire, The Rocks, and was later donated to Glessner House Museum. Although mass-produced ceramic tiles from industrial potters like Minton were quickly becoming the fashion, the Glessners installed hand-painted tiles in the fireplace surrounds of three rooms on Prairie Avenue. Two of the sets of tiles were designed by William Frend De Morgan (1839-1917), one of the most prolific and individualistic of the ceramicists involved in the English Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1870 De Morgan established a studio where he decorated blank tiles with his own designs, each completely individualized by slight variations in the outline and intensity of color. De Morgan, formally a stained glass designer, was particularly influenced by the Turkish designs and rich colors of the Isnik pottery produced in the late 15th to early 17th centuries, incorporating variations into his own work. Tiles of "Persian" design for which William De Morgan became particularly famous were installed by the Glessners in the fireplace surround of the Master Bedroom and tiles of a similar design, by an unknown maker, were installed in the Dining Room. The ceramic tiles in the Courtyard Bedroom display De Morgan's revival of the ancient technique of luster decoration. The unique iridescent surface effects are achieved by using oxides such as silver or copper. Later in his career De Morgan produced vases, bowls, and plates. A beautiful example -- a De Morgan vase -- can be seen in the Glessner House Parlor. After the death of Frances and John J. Glessner, the family removed all the decorative tiles and placed them in the Gardener's cottage at The Rocks. Today, some of the tiles in Glessner House are modern reproductions, but if you look very close you may be able to identify a few originals. |
