Animal Tile Art Appraisal

Ceramic Tile Art Depicting a Rider on an Animal

This item is a set of four square ceramic tiles, arranged to form a unified artistic scene. The tiles appear to be individually glazed and fired, with a gloss finish. The overall image depicts a person, likely a farmer, riding a large blue animal, possibly a water buffalo or bull, through a landscape. The color palette is rich and vibrant, with prominent use of yellow, orange, brown, blue, green, and black. The landscape features stylized houses with red roofs in the background, and the ground is rendered in a checkered pattern of various warm tones. The sky is a deep blue-green with stylized white clouds. The figure riding the animal is wearing an orange vest over black pants, with a light blue head covering. The animal has a prominent hump and stylized legs. There are visible brushstrokes and variations in the glaze application, suggesting hand-painting or artisanal production. The tiles are butted together, and the image appears to flow across all four pieces, although there are slight disconnections along the tile lines. There are no immediately visible chips, cracks, or significant surface damage in the provided image. The style appears to be folk art or naive art, with simplified forms and bright colors. Without visible maker's marks or signatures, estimating the exact age and manufacturing details is difficult, but the style suggests possibly mid to late 20th century. The craftsmanship appears to be of good quality for this style, with distinct lines and bold colors.