Most of the hand-painted tiles used at Jamestown (for decorating walls
and fireplaces) were imported from Holland. A few were made in England.
Made of a light-buff clay, and known as delftware, the tiles unearthed
are decorated in blue, with a conventionalized design in each corner and
a central picture or motif. Covered with a tin glaze, the majority of
tiles found measure about 5 inches square by 3/8-inch thick. The edges
are beveled, permitting them to be set very close together at the glazed
surface. The attractively decorated tiles added a touch of beauty to a
few Jamestown interiors.