Tile Picture with a Roman Hero, anonymous, 1615 - 1640

maiolica, h 141.5cm × w 41.5cm × d 3.9cm More details

Fireback tile tableaux adorned the interior of the fireplace opening, flanking the flue. Both tile pictures are incomplete. Based on the size of the hearth, they were a standard thirteen tiles high. The three missing tiles almost certainly bore the names of the depicted Roman heroes. The large figures painted on a white, reflective surface will have appeared very lifelike in the dim hearth light.