Minoan fresco tile: saffron-gatherer (3)

The original fresco was excavated in Akrotiri on Thera/Santorini, and dates to ca 1500 BC. The main theme was the gathering of crocus for saffron. The women wear a variety of colourful costumes and jewellery: earrings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets in gold, precious stones and rock crystals. The landscape depicted is rocky and mountainous, scattered with clusters of crocus.

They are all made in Greece in the workshop of the Lioulias family, with whom It's All Greek is proud to have been working since 2004.

The tiles are made of a resin compound. Many have a 'craquelure' effect, to replicate the fine pattern of formed on the surface of paintings, in particular due to the ageing of paints and pigments.

Should you wish to put these tiles in a bathroom or garden, it would be wise to apply a coat of transparent PVA sealant to protect them from rain and frost. They are supplied ready to hang, with a sturdy, embedded metal strip or, in the case of the larger ones, two strips which can be connected with picture wire. They can also be incorporated as features within a tiled wall.