The first ceramic tiles appeared towards the beginning of the XII th century, when the Roman art was in full bloom.

Initially quite plain, they were glazed yellow, dark green and black tiles. Arrew kind of tiles appeared in Cistercian abbeys at the end of XII th century and at the beginning of the XIII th century. Large decorated tiles on a surface with drawings printed or engraved with a point.

Tiles from St Georges Castle Milly la Forêt XIIIth century

The pattrens were geometric or plant-like and were reminiscent of those that could be found on the monochromatic stained-glass windows of abbeys.

Towards the middle of the XIII th century, Cistercian tiles and Roman ornemental tiling were ti give way to a new kind of tiles that became quite popular from the Gothic period to the end of the middle-ages.

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From then on, new tiles with yellow dessigns on a dark red background could be made thanks to a technical innovation.
These two-colored tiles made with somewhat different techniques appeared towards 1240.
Industry was getting more and more hand-crafted and the last tiles of that kind were probably made before the end of the XVII th century.

Ceramic marquetry . The technique of decoration is distinctive. The decoration depends on a combinaison of clays and glazes of different qualities. The glaze is plumbiferous, transparent and light yellow. Applied on a tile of red clay, it will become dark red. The glaze will turn green by adding copper oxyde.

The technique consist in making a hollow on the surface of a red clay tile with a stamp,	then it is filled with liquid white clay (in french : l'engobe), and finally the glaze is applied.	The tiles are baked at 1000°.
	This handicraft, outwardly easy, demands on incredible mastery of the alchemy of clays and bakings.