120 antique tiles by Jacob Chemla (1857-1938). Dimensions approximately 11,5 to 12 cm square. These tiles were sawn from an old floor in Tunis and are missing a few millimeters here and there. Overall in good condition. The famous Chemla tiles were produced in Tunis and used all over the world, from the 1870s through 1977. Jacob Chemla was a scholar and artist. He was an advocate with the Rabbinical Court of Tunis. He was a writer and playwright, he translated The Count of Monte Christo and works on others, into Judeo-Arabe. After 1881, when the French established their protectorate in Tunesia, Jacob became friends with the architects who were restoring some of the historic buildings and who wanted to clad the buildings with 'authentic' Arab tiles, like those on the Bardo Palace and the Mosque of Kairouan. Jacob Chemla organized a pottery in Tunis with the intent of rediscovering the archaic method of making 'Arab'-tiles. He experimented with glazes and firing and in time, he found what he had wanted: Beautiful aged, iridescent tiles that were very close to the old enemals, because, as with the old, Jacob had used local products like sand Mègrine for silica, copper, tin and lead were oxidized and crushed on site. With the help of his son Victor, the chemist, Jacob developed tiles in the most authentic, old style. There are Chemla-tiles collectors all over the world, esp. in the USA. These tiles are hard to find but Antique Fireplaces First has found a 120 tiles in boxes, in Belgium. Worldwide shipping. Delivery in Europe can be done by Antique Fireplaces First: 'In House Delivery'.
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