Reminiscent of 17th-century Portuguese azulejo tiles, which were inspired by Delft products of the Netherlands, this pair of French ceramic tiles has a cobalt blue and white color scheme. The roughly square tiles, which are from the 1800s, depict two distinct hunting scenes.

One tile (as seen on the left in the main photo) illustrates a hunter with a spear lunging at a large boar. Jagged terrain dotted with flora can be seen under their feet, with a large hill behind the boar topped with a tall flower. Clusters of roundels and tapered fluting fill open spaces, allowing the artist to utilize almost every inch of the tile. The subject of the second tile (on the right in the main photo) is another hunter, clad in a plumed bycoket hat (in French, it’s called a chapeau à bec, or “beak hat” because of its shape that resembles a bird’s beak) and poulines, which are shoes with exaggerated toes. He is wearing an ensemble very similar to the hunter on the first tile, which was common attire for the Middle Ages. This second hunter has three lively dogs on leashes, as they walk across more level ground with sparse vegetation. A large hill behind the hunting party partially obscures a castle, while fluting and groupings of roundels were also employed to aesthetically enhance the scene.

Our pair of 19th-century French hunting scene tiles can be hung as beautiful wall accessories in almost any room of the house from a bathroom to a hallway or game room. They could also be utilized in the kitchen as a unique pair of decorative back splashes behind a range or sink.

CONDITION: Good antique condition, with visible craquelure, commensurate to age. Fleabites and minor nicks. Professional restoration to a very small section of the tile with the boar. Wire enclosure installed on the back for hanging purposes.