- For encaustic painting see Encaustic painting
Encaustic tiles are
ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the
glaze but of different colors of
clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern appears inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as the tile is worn down. Encaustic tiles may be glazed or unglazed and the inlay may be as shallow as an eighth of an inch, as is often the case with "printed" encaustic tile from the later
medieval period, or as deep as a quarter inch.
