Ceramic Tiles History | Tiles in calicut,Kerala

Ceramic tiles are one of the oldest forms of decorative art. Together with architecture,

they have been widely used due to its durability, technical properties and visual

richness. The word “tile” comes from the French word “tuile”, which is derived fromthe

latin word “tegula”, meaning a roof tile of baked clay. As for the word “ceramic”, it

comes from the greek word “keramikos”, which meant “of pottery” or “for pottery”, and

it is related to the Indo-European word “cheros”, which meant “heat”.

The history of ceramic tiles begins  with the oldest civilizations.

It is known that Egyptians on the 4th millennium b.c. already used to

decorate their houses with blue tile bricks  Originally considered one

of the World Seven Wonders, it was built on the 5th century b.c. and

decorated with lions, bulls and dragons with a strong glazed blue as background.

In the Iberian Peninsula the ceramic tiles were introduced by Moors. At the palace of Allambra in Granada,

constructed by the Nasrid Kings in the 13th and 14th century,it is possible to see an incredible work of art. The ceramic tiles were used there in differentshapes and colors, and applied to the walls creating beautiful geometric patterns 

However, it was Portugal after the 16th century that truly embraced the ceramic tile art and made it one of its cultural expressions. By now they were done in a squared shape, usually measuring 5,5 inches. The ceramic tiles were used back then everywhere, from public places to private and religious ones, on outside and inside walls.

Very popular on the 17th century, the Dutch tiles from Delft were

usuallydecorated with central figures and delicate ones on the four edges of each piece, creating a united appearance when together

combined

The Islamic Empires were responsible for the dissemination of the ceramic tile

as a wall covering. Initially mosaics were used resembling the byzantine ones, creating drawings from pieces of stones. But soon enough, under the ceramic Chinese influence

accessible through the silk routes, the ceramic tiles with its glaze and drawings began being used. By now they were thicker and widely used in Islamic architecture, as an

inside and outside covering, as seen at the monumental public buildings of the Iranian city of Isfahan.

During the Ottoman Empire became famous a kind of ceramic tile from a Turkish citynear Istanbul called Iznik. The Iznik tiles had a special glow due to its quartz layers, and shades of red never achieved before. Tiles motifs

were generally floral, geometric or Koran passages with beautiful Arabic

calligraphy. The Iznik tiles ended up being widely used inside mosques because

they helped to resonate the sound of prayers and also gave a felling of amplitude,

taking away the weight of the heavy structure These tiles suffered great influence from the white and blue Chinese Ming porcelain, which was imported by the Dutch East

India Company and had became a fashion back them.

In the colonial Brazil ceramic tiles from Portugal and Holland were rapidly incorporated to the national culture as ceramic tiles are impermeable, thus protecting from humidity, are easy to wash and also the pieces reflect the sun providing good thermal environment when used on the facades. It is easy to find nice examples from colonial tiles specially on the north and northeast of the country, together with Rio de Janeiro state; one beautiful example being the Nossa Senhora do OuteiroChurch panel 

After the 30’s the renovation of Brazilian architecture renewed the use of ceramic

tiles,specially due to the neocolonial movement, which aimed to use traditional local materials. In 1940, Paulo Rossi Osir created the Osiarte, a company that executed amazing works such as Portinari panel in the Ministry of Health and Education building in Rio de Janeiro

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