Tile with Plant c. 1885

Curator: I'm drawn to the quiet dignity of this tile panel by American Encaustic Tiling Company from around 1885, called "Tile with Plant." It is like poetry chiseled in clay. What strikes you first? Editor: Its sheer unity, I suppose, considering its tile composition. I mean, I see instantly that the grid facilitates and hinders the overall aesthetic. All that uniform encaustic relief gives a rather bourgeois flavor, too. It looks very turn-of-the-century parlour. Curator: You say bourgeois, but there’s a story whispered here, a classical serenity. That draped figure, perhaps a muse, and those gentle doves... Do you feel the calm it exudes, that turn-of-the-century desire for beauty amidst the hum of industrialism? Editor: Definitely a respite of sorts, although mass-produced. Encaustic tile was becoming very popular at the time, you know. Production became incredibly efficient. This panel, despite its classical air, likely adorned a wealthy patron's home as part of a larger, manufactured decorative scheme. Think about the factory workers producing thousands of these, repeating gestures… It brings the so-called classical image crashing to Earth. Curator: Ah, but perhaps that is part of its charm. Mass-produced, yes, but imbued with a desire for a connection to nature and mythology—isn’t there something touching about wanting that beauty within one's home, however humbly produced? The details themselves are not entirely standardized: notice the varying depths of relief? There's hand-finishing present! Editor: Point taken! But this idea of access also comes down to consumption—not unlike art production today. In many respects, the ubiquity of its process undermines the uniqueness that art objects historically have clung to. Look closely, and I find that it resembles less some profound mythological depiction than interior design that serves commerce. Curator: I see that in its roots, but perhaps, through time, it's become something more. To consider those artisans, perhaps dreaming of muses while they meticulously crafted tiles... it reframes its story. It invites a different type of contemplation. Editor: I admit that considering the unseen laborers imbues the object with an aura that contrasts its manufactured condition. Commerce aside, it offers something timeless, albeit unintentionally, which speaks about both social reality and escapism, so many years on. Curator: Agreed!