Stove tiles in The Utena Local Lore Museum‘s archaeological collection

In an online dictionary “Žodynas.lt” tile is described as: it is a thin brick used for stoves on the exterior, or to lay walls and floors. Stoves with tiles appeared in 12-13th centuries in German Alps. Stove tiles came to Central Europe alongside with German colonisation and conquests. In Lithuania stove tiles appeared only after Christianization (1387).
Stove tiles – valuable part of The Utena Local Lore Museum‘s archaeological collection. No publications about their acquisition and features have been released. The goal of this exhibition is to introduce stove tiles of The Utena Local Lore Museum‘s archaeological collection. Surveyed information includes their acquisition, decorations and glazing according to their period, and what information it gives us.
First fragments of stove tiles came into possession of The Utena Local Lore Museum in 1962. Director of the museum at the time Karolis Keras passed on to the museum 19 stove tiles and their fragments, found between 1959 and 1961 in the surrounding area of Vyžuonos manor (Utena district). After that, new findings of stove tiles came into possession of the museum only in year 1986. At the moment in The Utena Local Lore Museum‘s archaeological collection there are 693 stove tiles and their fragments from Noliškis and Utenėlė (Utena district) manor areas, areas of former churches of town of Tauragnai (Utena district). Even 661 stove tiles and their fragments are from within Utena city.
Stove tiles from 16–18 th century are glazed light green or dark green glaze. In tiles decoration predominates vegetation motifs – flowers in vases and without them. There are tiles decorated with scales, braids and concave stripes. Some stove tiles are found with coat of arms of noble family Oginskiai, as well as Leliwa coat of arms with stars. Unglazed stole tiles from 19th-20th century’s first half are ornamented with vegetation and geometric motifs.
Dating of stove tiles shows that from second half of 17th century number of stoves with stove tiles increased in Utena. Stove tiles become even more decorated, and short distances between their founding locations shows that Utenis square and surrounding streets were the richer part of the city.
Prepared by Dalius Ribokas, The Utena Local Lore Museum.
Translated by Simonas Obcarskas, The Utena Local Lore Museum.