Rare Medieval French Gothic Floor Tile Depicting a Crowned Queen, Artois, 14th Century

A rare medieval lead-glazed earthenware floor tile depicting the three-quarter bust of a crowned female figure, traditionally identified as a queen. The finely modelled portrait is enclosed within a lobed frame defined by double concentric lines, a distinctive feature of fourteenth-century tile production in Artois, northern France.

The figure is particularly notable for the elaborate treatment of her costume and headdress. Her hair is gathered into a bun beneath a hairnet or tasselled coiffure, secured by a braided cord. She wears a fur-trimmed tunic fastened at the neck, a collar of lozenge-shaped jewels and a crown ornamented with a prominent central cabochon. These carefully observed details reflect the courtly fashions of the later fourteenth century.

The design closely corresponds to examples excavated at Hermelinghen (No. 183) and Thérouanne (No. 304), where it is associated with a companion tile depicting a crowned male bust. The two designs originally formed part of a repeating decorative scheme celebrating royal or noble figures. 

Jean Boucard has suggested that the distinctive coiffure corresponds to fashions of approximately 1365–1370, although the motif is more broadly attributable to the later fourteenth century. Related crowned female portraits are recorded from Saintonge and Bress-Allonnes, illustrating the circulation of Gothic decorative designs between northern and western France.

An unusually accomplished example of medieval French tile-making, distinguished by the expressive modelling of the portrait and the remarkably detailed representation of contemporary aristocratic dress.

c14th century, Northern France.

12.3cm : about 1.8cm thick

UK shipping included.

Condition:  Chips and some loss of glaze. Hole to the surface, likely manufacturing flaw. Sticker/glue remnants to the reverse. 

Literature: Carette, Martine & Derœux, Didier. Carreaux de pavement médiévaux de Flandre et d'Artois (XIIIe–XIVe siècles). Arras: Commission départementale d'Histoire et d'Archéologie du Pas-de-Calais, 1985 p.72