 Le
Carreau de Provins
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In the times of Count Thibault IV and the great Mediaeval fairs, the Champagne region saw the beginnings of a decorative art form that was to become famous throughout Christendom. The alluvial marls, which had been worked from time immemorial, provided artists, craftsmen and journeymen with a raw material that allowed them to give free rein to their imagination. They invented a technique not unlike engraving that enabled them to create the highly aesthetic floor tiles used to decorate their churches, cathedrals and stately homes. In addition to a wide range of geometric designs, motifs used for these tiles included famous characters, farm (and wild) animals, heraldic symbols and vine-branches. A variety of tile motifs were normally used to create great decorative designs. The seat of the Counts of Champagne, Provins, was a major centre for this art
form.
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Provins is once more the home of a refined art form
Today the Carreau de Provins workshop has given Provins Tiles a new lease of life, thanks to the efforts of a small number of enthusiastic researchers, artists and historians. These experts in the alchemistic art of firing have rediscovered the ancient secrets of tile production. They have managed to index all the traditional tile patterns, reproducing a certain number of the old motifs with varying combinations of clay and metal in order to find new colour blends. The company's tiles were originally intended for use in the restoration of various historic monuments, but recently production has been extended to include modern designs - a wonderful medium for today's artists and
decorators.
Carreau de Provins uses a specific technique with uses two different inlayed clays. The first of these clays is used to make the tile itself, while the second clay is used to give the tile its pattern. This second clay, which may be used with or without the addition of coloured oxides, is known at the filler. Once it has dried, the finished tile is then glazed. Because we want our products to be as close as possible to Mediaeval tradition, the glazes that we use are made on the premises in the old manner. Different combinations of basic glazes give a rich palette of varied hues.
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