Spectacular plates reprinted from rare 19th- and early-20th-century English, French, and Spanish manufacturers' catalogs. 400 royalty-free examples inspired by more than 2,000 years of tile designs produced by the civilizations of Islam, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, among others. Largest collection of color tile designs in a single volume.

250 royalty-free designs, from a rare early-20th-century tile catalog, brimming with Art Nouveau flavor: beautiful floral and foliate motifs on wall tiles for bathrooms, multicolored stenciled friezes, and more.

DIV97 full-color, royalty-free designs from turn-of-the-20th-century catalogs incorporate stylized flowers, leaves, and other plant forms, abstract and geometric figures, stars, suns, and more. /div

A comprehensive, full-color exploration of tile art and production worldwide, from earliest times to the present day. The book is both an authoritative work of reference and a visual delight, ranging from ancient Greece, where the first fired roof tiles date from as early as the third millennium BC, to twentieth-century Mexico. Along the way we encounter stunning examples of the tiler's art: the enormous English medieval floor pavements from Byland Abbey and Clarendon Palace; figural tiles from China, intended to adorn roofs and ward off evil; the famous Iznik tiles from the Islamic world, with their richly decorative patterns; the highly stylised ceramic tiles of the Arts and Crafts movement; and the tiles created by some of the finest ceramic artists and potters of the twenty-first century. Placing the tiles firmly in their historical and cultural context, the book highlights both continuity and diversity, the dissemination of techniques and designs, and how tile art in one time and place has inspired and rejuvenated those in others. Tiles are also studied in terms of function as well as form, and the full range of architectural and practical purposes for which they have been used - from floors to roofs, stoves to bathrooms, cathedrals to metro stations - will be explored, along with the various techniques employed to create such versatile pieces. 5000 Years of Tiles is the essential, most comprehensive single volume for anyone interested in the ceramic, decorative, and architectural arts.

Spectacular plates reprinted from rare 19th- and early-20th-century English, French, and Spanish manufacturers' catalogs. 400 royalty-free examples inspired by more than 2,000 years of tile designs produced by the civilizations of Islam, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, among others. Largest collection of color tile designs in a single volume.

132 royalty-free motifs: crosses, churches, fleur-de-lis, stylized plant forms, mythological creatures, stars, abstract and geometric figures, and other authentic elements.