PARK AND CEMETERY. 
258 
WALL AND PAVEMENT TILING IN MAUSOLEUMS 
From the standpoint of decoration and durability, as well 
as for aesthetic reasons, the baked clay tile, either glazed 
or iinglazed or in the form of ceraniic mosaic, makes a most 
appropriate covering for the walls and pavements, either 
interior or exterior, of mausoleums or sepulchral monu- 
ments. 
The mausoleum should always be monumental in char- 
acter. It is constructed of the most durable and lasting ma- 
terials not only because it is built to last for centuries; be- 
cause even its interior is more or less exposed to the ele- 
ments; and because under ordinary circumstances it does not 
receive the care and attention that is bestowed upon a build- 
ing that is inhabited by the living; but also for the aesthetic 
reason that its solidity of construction should suggest the 
permanent and the everlasting. It should proclaim its age 
without betraying corresponding evidences of the ravages 
of time. Anything temporary or unstable about its construc- 
tion, even in the form of decoration, strikes a false note that 
is not in accord with its monumental character. 
For many historical and technical reasons the baked clay 
tile fits all of these conditions admirably. Tiling is an his- 
toric mural decoration and pavement covering. It has been 
used as such for thousands of'years, ever since the birth of 
architecture in the valleys of the Nile and the Tigris and 
Euphrates. Many museums in Europe contain today speci- 
mens of clay tile that were baked thculands of years ago and 
have only recently been dug from the ruins of Babylon and 
other ancient cities. These tiles are in a remarkable state of 
preservation and retain even their brilliantly colored glaze. 
Properly set in good cement a tiled floor or wall lasts vir- 
tually forever. The unglazed or vitreous tile is baked so 
hard that even steel cannot scratch it. This is a most im- 
portant consideration in a pavement, because the most de- 
structive agents of all flooring material are the steel nails of 
the shoe. Marble, for instance, which makes a beautiful 
floor, is really too soft for a pavement that is subjected to 
rough usage, or which is supposed to last for centuries. 
The nails of the shoe scratch and wear it, and in a short 
time all parts of the floor where the traffic is concentrated 
become worn and hollowed out. Many cathedrals in Eng- 
land have tiled floors that were laid during the middle ages, 
and which except for their antique design show virtually no 
evidence of age. Unlike marble, ceramic tiling cannot be 
stained by any of the ordinary acids which in one form or 
another are likely to be spilled upon a floor. It is so non- 
porous that it cannot absorb moisture, and dirt cannot be 
ground into it, thus causing it to disintegrate and wear 
away, as does a marble pavement that is exposed to the ele- 
ments. Baked clay has chemical affinity for Portland cement 
and consequently unites with it in a much closer union than 
the mere adhesion which holds marble or other pavement slabs 
in place. This technical consideration is of even greater im- 
portance in mural decorations where the tile are held sus- 
pended, instead of being laid on the floor. 
The decoration of the mausoleum should be of a solemn 
awe-inspiring and impressive nature. Of the two chief factors 
of decoration, form and color, the first should predominate. 
In anything pertaining to sacred or reverential decoration 
architectural form is more appropriate than mere color orna- 
mentation; but the color scheme has, nevertheless, its legiti- 
mate and necessary function even in the mausoleum. To 
neglect it is almost as great a fault as to overdo it, or do 
it badly. The use of a subdued and appropriate color decor- 
ation is quite suitable in the interior of the mausoleum. 
In all mural or pavement ornamentation there is no ma- 
terial which offers greater possibilities than the clay tile. 
The plastic clay out of which it is made can be moulded into 
almost any shape, and by the selection of different clays and 
by the addition of metallic oxides the finished product can be 
produced in almost any color, shade or tint. In this country 
the tiles or the ceramic mosaic tesserae are manufactured in 
a large number of stock geometric sizes, and in a great many 
colors. Consequently, it is possible to execute almost any 
design or color scheme of ornamentation in either tiling or 
ceramic mosaic. For the interior or even for the exterior 
of mausoleums the color scheme should be subdued and in 
keeping with the purposes for which the monument is 
erected. Such colors can be readily produced in either the 
glazed or unglazed tiling, and have the great advantage over 
superficially applied pigments, that they do not fade and can 
otherwise resist the action of the elements. A colored tile 
exposed to the direct rays of the sun will be as bright one 
hundred years from now as it is today. 
Tiling is made in glazed, unglazed and vitreous forms and 
in ceramic mosaic. The glazed tile is used exclusively on 
walls, as the glaze is too brittle for floor work. The glaze 
is applied in liquid form to a porous clay body and the tile 
is th&n baked a second time in a gloss kiln. The glazed 
surface is absolutely impervious to moisture, but if the wall 
to vdiich the glazed tile is applied is damp, the moisture is ab- 
sorbed by the porous body, and if it is then subjected to severe 
frost, the moisture freezes behind the glaze and lifts it from 
the tile. This is the only condition under which a glazed wall 
tile is not quite as durable as the other varieties. For deco- 
rative work on mausoleums, in countries where there is 
danger of frost, it is better to use the unglazed tile or cera- 
mic mosaics, except in cases where there is absolute guaranty 
against dampness from the walls. This of course does not 
apply in cases where t-he dampness on the walls is merely 
superficial and caused by condensation of the moisture in the 
warmer air, as it comes in contact with the colder interior 
walls. This moisture is on the exterior surface and cannot 
be absorbed through impervious glaze. The danger from 
freezing under the glaze exists only in cases where the mois- 
ture actually comes through the walls. 
In many respects the most appropriate form for both 
pavement and mural ornamentation in the mausoleum is 
ceramic mosaic. There is a certain permanence, stability and 
dignity about mosaic work, either in design or in pictures, 
'which makes it especially appropriate in churches, mauso- 
leums and other structures of monumental character. Since 
the days of the ancient Romans mosaic work has been the 
most appropriate floor covering for all pavements in which 
durability and decoration are each essential factors. Of the 
different kinds of mosaic floors the only one which will with- 
stand for any length of time either rough usage or the rigors 
of our changeable climate is that composed of ceramic mater- 
ials. The clay unites better than any other material with 
the cement mortar of the foundation and it is likewise far 
harder than any of the natural stones used for pavements. 
Ceramic mosaic is equally appropriate as a wall covering, 
or for mural legends, inscription, panels, friezes or designs. 
The ceramic mosaic is so durable that it can be used quite as 
safely on the exterior of the building as on the interior. As 
the clay tesserae are non-porous they cannot absorb dirt or 
dust, and are not discolored or otherwise injured by smoke 
or any other extraneous substances in the atmosphere. If 
covered with dirt and dust on the exterior of buildings every 
shower of rain will thoroughly clean the mosaic work and 
restore its original brilliancy of color. Ch.^ri.es J. Fox. 
