Tile Panel with Birds Perched on Nails

anonymous, c. 1640 - c. 1660

‘Nail tiles’, so called because the painted birds perch on nails, are the holy grail for tile collectors. The format of the birds, the detailed rendering, the exuberant colours, and the striking poses, betray a level of quality and vivacity rarely seen in tiles. And yet here, too, a graphic model was followed; some of the birds’ poses are repeated.