Tile Conservation

Tiles are context-dependent pieces of art and should never be removed from the locations that the artist chose to display them. Doing so robs the artifact of its context and robs future enjoyers of the joy of finding the tile. If you would like to take something of the tile with you, the gold standard of long-term enjoyment is to take a photo. You can also make a rubbing if you’re careful to avoid traffic. If you must display the tile in your home, you can leave, return with high-quality camera equipment, sprinkle water on the tile to improve contrast, and take a print-quality photograph.