Category Archives: Tile Tables

Orange Spanish Table by Taylor

Orange Spanish Geometric Table by TaylorThis table is the sibling of the previous one, also created by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). The tile design is the same but the black and orange glaze colors have been reversed. The glazes on these tiles are quite wonderful; the orange has a bit of a mottled effect which makes it pop even more. The corner tile with yet another glaze combination appears on page 161 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). In the Taylor catalog the designs are marked as #147 Corner and #147 Stretcher. Continue reading

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Black Spanish Table by Taylor

Black Spanish Geometric Table by TaylorThis table and the next one are both created by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). Four corner and two stretcher tiles in Spanish design create a nice oval image, the ring of fire. The corner tile with different glazes appears on page 161 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). In the Taylor catalog the designs are marked as #147 Corner and #147 Stretcher. Continue reading

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Single Spanish Tile Table by Taylor

Single Spanish Tile Table by TaylorAnd another small table with a deco tile by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). The Spanish geometric tile is larger than usual, so it displays nicely. Two different versions of this design appear on page 157 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). The design is listed in Taylor Tiles catalog as #82.

The tile is in good condition with some minor surface wear and a few small pits in the glaze. The paint on the table could use a bit of a touch-up. Continue reading

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Snowflake Table by Taylor

Snowflake Table by TaylorHere we have a very simple small table by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941) with a single decorative tile and four triangular corner tiles. The glaze colors on the silk-screened deco tile are classic Taylor - black, orange, and light-beige. This design, with a different color combination, appears on page 160 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2).

The tiles are in fair condition with some surface crazing. The deco tile has a tight hairline in one of the corners. Continue reading

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Sailboat Table by Dec-Art

Sailboat Table by Dec-ArtThis sailboat table by Decorative Arts (1927-1933, Hawthorne, CA) is a beauty. I haven't come across too many Dec-Art tiles, and this table might just be the best one they ever made! The scene depicts a tall schooner in the bay, with a silhouette of a Monterey pine on the shore and pink mountains in the background.

Decorative Arts was established in 1927 and published a catalog of their designs the year after. The catalog included 116 different designs in various sizes; all tiles were decorated with decals. Continue reading

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Octagon Table with a Roundel Tile Set by D. & M.

Octagon Table with a Roundel Tile Set by Taylor

Correction: the more I looked at this table, the more unconvinced I became that it was done by Taylor. Now that I've seen more D. & M. tiles, I believe that these tiles are also by D. & M. (1928 - 1939, Los Angeles). The semi-matte flat surface and the quality of the glazes are unique to that manufacturer, and there have been plenty of cases of shared designs. Eric Watt, a D. & M. aficionado, kindly confirmed my suspicion. This also explains the size discrepancy between the design in Taylor catalog and actual tiles in my table. Continue reading

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Spanish Design Table by Taylor

Spanish Design Table by TaylorThe tiles in this table are another example of Spanish-influenced designs produced by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). The festive geometric design is quite complex and uses a number of vivid glossy glazes in usual Taylor colors - black, orange, yellow, green, and beige.

This design is shown on page 161 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). Another example with different glaze colors appears on page 265 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6. I could not find this design in Taylor catalog.

The tiles are in good condition with some surface wear and a couple tight surface hairlines. They are set in a simple wooden table with turned legs. Continue reading

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Phoenix Table by Taylor

Phoenix Table by TaylorThis is my second phoenix bird (the first one is the linoleum wrought iron table), and I am quite fond of this one. Like many others in my collection it was created by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941), but it's a very rare and exceptionally well-executed design. Taylor had quite a number of different bird murals (jays, parrots, birds of paradise, pheasants), and this one is the best.

Four large cuerda seca tiles create an incredible Art Deco image of a phoenix (or a pheasant? or a bird of paradise?) perched on a flowering branch against a background of blue and orange stripes. Taylor used matte glazes for this mural; most other bird murals are executed in glossy glazes. It's bright and lively yet very tasteful.

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Sun Table by Tudor

Sun Table by TudorTudor Potteries (1927 to 1939) tin-glazed tiles are often easy to recognize by their use of vivid, bright colors, especially orange and teal green. The patterns are usually pretty complex; intricate designs have definitive Spanish and Moorish influences.

The tiles on this table look simplistic in comparison to their brethren; they have a three-color sun-shaped design. This design is documented on page 277 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6, and on page 184 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). It also appears in the 1931 Tudor catalog and is marked CAY. Continue reading

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Santa Barbara Mission Table by Taylor

Santa Barbara Mission Table by TaylorThis might seem like a repeat post, but it's not. Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941) made a number of different murals depicting Missions, and Santa Barbara Mission was featured more than once. This mural looks at the Mission from a different perspective, and the design is somewhat more dramatic, with more contrast.

The silk-screened tiles are shown on page 158 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2) as well as on page 257 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6. Both panels in the books feature six tiles, not just four. Continue reading

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Stand with a Roundel Tile Set by Taylor

Stand with a Roundel Tile Set by TaylorThis tall stand is surprising. The tiles are undoubtedly made by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941), but I suspect that the stand itself - or, at least, the base - was made much later by a woodworker who had a set of vintage tiles lying around.

Taylor has produced a vast array of geometric designs in Moorish and Spanish tradition. Most of them were square, but there are quite a few known examples of roundels consisting of four tiles. This design is documented in Santa Monica Tiles (Taylor Tilery) Catalog Number 2 as "D139." Continue reading

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Art Deco Table by American Encaustic

Art Deco Trestle Table by HermosaAs far as geometric tile tables go, this one is quite unique, both in terms of the tiles and the woodwork. The trestle table is quite large; it's a size of a library table or a writing desk. Blue and yellow rhomboid tiles are laid out in contrasting pattern, with a black center figure that connects to decorative art deco borders. The wooden frame is made of cherry and has interesting turned legs and a carved element on a turned horizontal beam that connects them. Continue reading

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Filed under American Encaustic Tiling Co, Gladding, McBean, Tile Tables

Phoenix Linoleum Wrought Iron Table

Phoenix Linoleum Wrought Iron TableI am stretching the limits of my collection here a bit: this is not a tile table. However, it looks like one, if you squint. It was made around the same time that many of the tile tables were - 1920s - 1930s, and it has a wrought iron frame very similar to the ones that most makers would set their tiles into. It is "poor man's Catalina," in the words of the antique dealer I bought it from.

The intricate phoenix (or is it a pheasant?) design is created out of separate pieces of colored linoleum carefully put together in a mosaic. The image is really beautiful, and the colors are bright. The black border "tiles" are also cut out of linoleum, and the grout between them makes it look like the whole thing is a ceramic surface. Continue reading

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Racetrack Table by Taylor

Racetrack Table by TaylorAlmost every tile company in the 1930s - Taylor, Tudor, Hispano-Moresque, D. & M. - had their version of the Racetrack design. They differed slightly in the choices of colors and texture of the glazes. Caltiles.com has a great comparison of a few different versions of this shared design.

This particular set of tiles was done by Taylor as evidenced by the colors and very shiny glazes. The design appears on page 239 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2) and page 265 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6. It's also shown in Santa Monica Tiles (Taylor Tilery) Catalog Number 2 as "25-A Cor." Continue reading

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Round Table by Hispano-Moresque

Round Table by Hispano-MoresqueThe tiles for this table were made by Hispano-Moresque Tile Company of Los Angeles (1927 - 1934). The company's showroom was grandiose, but it is still unclear where the tiles were produced. It's possible that Hispano-Moresque used the D. & M. factory for their production, and that would explain a lot of the similarities in the decoration of these two companies' tiles. The tiles with this particular design are shown set into a Monterey Prohibition-era bar on page 217 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). Continue reading

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Moorish Flame Design Table by Taylor

Moorish Flame Design Table by TaylorThis four-tile design was created by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). The Moorish tiles use only 3 glaze colors - black, orange, and mustard-yellow - yet they manage to create an appearance of a flame bursting out of the center of the table.

This design is well-documented; it appears both on page 267 of the Encyclopedia of American Art Tiles, Region 6 and page 165 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). However, the tiles shown in both of the books have two additional orange dots per tile. It's fairy common to see some variation in the design of the tiles coming from the same manufacturer. Continue reading

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Checkered Wrought Iron Table

Checkered Wrought Iron TableNot much to say about this one. It's compact, and the bright, glossy red and black glazes really pop. I really like the wrought iron frame with the twisted stretcher bar; it's almost Gothic in style.

I keep telling myself that it's made by Catalina, but in reality it could have been made by any of the tile manufacturers across the US. Continue reading

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Filed under American Encaustic Tiling Co, Gladding, McBean, Tile Tables, Unknown Maker

Spanish Wrought Iron Table with Decorative Corners

Spanish Wrought Iron Table with Decorative CornersThis is a great 1920s table made with Spanish cuenca tiles. Tile-making was introduced to Spain by Moors some time in the 14th century and the tiles in this manner have been made throughout the centuries. Cuenca tiles were used extensively in the 16th century. A factory in Seville called Fábrica de Manuel Ramos Rejano made tiles that look similar between 1895 and 1965. Continue reading

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Floral Geometric Table with Matte Glazes by Taylor

Floral Geometric Table with Matte GlazesThis is one of my favorite floral geometric tile tables. I had to reach out to a number of tile experts to identify it until a few finally confirmed that it was made by Taylor Tilery (1930 - 1941). Cuerda seca technique was used to separate gorgeous matte glazes that decorate six light-beige tiles surrounded by green border tiles and contrasting light-brown corner tiles. The mottled red glaze is particularly pretty. Continue reading

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Flamenco Dancers Table by Taylor

Flamenco Dancers Table by TaylorTaylor Tilery (1930 - 1941, also known as Santa Monica Brick Company) produced at least a dozen designs depicting Spanish and Mexican dancers. Tile tables were hugely popular in early 1930s, and Taylor was working closely with a few furniture makers in Los Angeles area.

This table has a six-tile cuerda seca ("dry line") mural surrounded by green border tiles with contrasting black corners and set in a simple wooden frame. The tiles are fortunately in fantastic condition with what I think might be original terracotta grout.

This particular scene is somewhat more common with a different set of glazes. The background is usually yellow and the man's outfit is blue, as shown on page 152 of the California Tile, The Golden Era 1910-1940 (vol. 2). The design on my table has fewer glaze colors than the other version but is equally striking. Continue reading

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