Architectural Molding Tiles Encase Breakfast Room Mirrors

Wandering through the Gallery a set of stairs leads up to the Breakfast Room.  The Breakfast Room displays two different types of Mercer tiles.  The mirror is framed with Mercer’s Architectural Molding Tiles.  Similar tiles are used throughout the Castle to frame Mercer’s historical tiles as well as frame windows and other architectural elements.

Floral Brocade Tiles on Russian Fireplace

A Floral Brocade Mosaic covers the Russian Fireplace on the opposite side of the room.  Multiple examples of Floral Brocade Mosaics are displayed throughout Fonthill.  Another example in the Castle entryway was shown on my 14 November post.

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Canon 5D MkIII, EF17-40mm f/4L @ 17mm, f/11, 1.3 sec, ISO 400

Going through the Alcove Doors one enters the Four Seasons Gallery.  These mosaics were the last tiles to be installed in Fonthill before Henry Mercer’s death.  Each mosaic was to depict one of the four seasons.  Mercer was only able to complete two seasons of the four seasons.  These two mosaics were designed as a pair.  Each mosaic has 12 segments.  Eight of the segments depict farm life during the specific season.  The other 4 depict different elements of the season; birds, flowers etc.  The designs of the tiles are unique in that they are flat, placed and raised against the concrete background.  These are the only examples of this style.  Below are different aspects of the two mosaics.

Four Seasons:  Summer

Four Seasons:  Autumn

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Canon 5D MkIII, EF17-40mm f/4L @ 22mm, f/8.0, 0.3 sec, ISO 400

This dramatic fireplace dominates Mercer’s Morning Room.  The room faces North.  Light enters the room in the morning from the floor to ceiling windows on the left and from the right during the afternoon.  It is a very bright room throughout the day.  This fireplace is my favorite in Fonthill.  The Italian Brocade design is from a 16th century Sicilian tapestry.  Below is a detail of the design.

Italian Brocade design on Morning Room Fireplace

Elements of the design are separate tiles and can be used interchangeably to create various designs.  Compare this design with the design of the Italian Brocade in the Fonthill Entryway below.

Italian Brocade in Entryway Mosaic

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Canon 5D MkIII, EF24-70 f/2.8L @ 46mm, f/6.3, 1/6 sec, ISO 200

There are tiles everywhere, on the walls, on the fireplaces, on the window cells, on the columns on the ceilings … and on the floor.  Most people just walk over these tiles on the floor not paying any attention to them.  They are worth exploring by themselves.

More to follow …

Tomorrow we will start walking toward the Morning Room

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“The Rich Man and Lazarus Brocade Mural”

 Canon 5D MkIII, EF17-40 f/4L @ 17mm, f/8.0, 0.5 sec, ISO 400

“The Rich Man and Lazarus” is an example of Mercer’s Bible series brocade relief designs.  This unique mural was designed specifically for the hood of the main fireplace in the Saloon.  It is a single piece design as opposed to the segmented scenes present in Mercer’s other brocade stories.  The details and colors are exquisite.  The characters are from antique stove plates as described in a previous post.

The image below is the side panel of the main fireplace.

Canon 5D MkIII, EF17-40mm f/4L @ 23mm, f/11, 1/100 sec, ISO 400

This image is a composite of two photos, one exposed for the tiles and one exposed fro the exterior trees outside the window.  They were blended together in Photoshop.

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Canon 5DMkIII, EF24-70mm f2.8L @ 51mm, f/7.1, 0.8 sec, ISO 200

Many of Mercer’s tiles were inspired or taken directly from old cast iron stove plates like this one located in the Library Fireplace.  Impressions were made from the figures and designs.  Pay attention to the woman pouring liquid into an urn in the right-center part of the plate.  See something familiar in the tile below located on the Russian Fireplace in the Saloon.

Tile on the Russian Fireplace in the Saloon

Also notice other similar figures of people, urns, border patterns and so on.  As in any design, it is great to have a starting point.  The Castle is full of such tile scenes.  I really enjoy looking at the different stove plates on display and trying to find the designs replicated somewhere in the tiles.  It’s a little like playing hide and seek.

Tomorrow I will move into the Saloon.

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