Getty Museum

Tile Floor

Date

about 1425–1450

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

Spanish

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

Since the square tiles contain a striped shield typically found in Tuscan coats of arms, this Spanish floor may have been made for an Italian patron. The tiles around the shields are inscribed with spiritual admonitions-- *speratens* (have hope) and *ne oblyer* (do not forget)--in what appears to be an old Catalan or French dialect. Documents record that Spanish potters produced a variety of ceramics for export to Italy in the 1400s. The blue foliage around the outside of these tiles probably influenced the leaf ornament of early Tuscan maiolica.

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