Objects have a slightly grey-green, light blue or bright white glaze. They are painted with bright cobalt blue and strong dark blue-black outlines in combination with areas in soft light blue. Under the guidance of Van Eenhoorn, his painters sometimes used manganese for the outlines around figures, and for small details such as leaves and decoration in clothing. A beautiful example in our collection is a plate, marked SVE, decorated with typical Chinoiserie figures of dignitaries.
The decoration demonstrates the careful attention the factory gave to color gradation. RA]]] until During this period, the factory produced objects in a wide variety of shapes, from small tea canisters to pyramidal flower vases taller than a meter. AK-marked objects are typically decorated with a beautiful milk-white glaze, and painted with brilliant, almost glowing, cobalt blue.
This pair of bottle-shaped vases, inspired by Kangxi prototypes, and decorated with heart-shaped panels and elaborate scroll work, is an excellent example of AK-marked objects. In the first half of the 18th century, several factories adapted their color schemes to the fashionable petit feu colors, or glazes that were fired at a lower temperature. Again, the inspiration came from Chinese porcelain, in the style of wares known as Famille Verte and Famille Rose. Delftware potters also referenced Japanese Imari porcelain through their use of gold, blue, and red.
Despite these adaptations, blue remained a beloved color, and there are few Delftware objects where the hue is completely absent. Around , a more rich, royal blue was seen in Delftware. A beautiful plate in our collection by De Witte Ster The White Star factory from around illustrates this vibrant blue. The plate is decorated with a broad rim of detailed lambrequin-work, and shows a coat of arms in the centre. The years before represent the last great period of Delftware production.
The decorative and utilitarian wares produced during this period are characterized by different shades of greyish-blue. Stodel collection and illustrated in C. The more cobalt oxide the paint contained, the brighter the blue would become on the Delftware.
The book is called De Plateelbakker of Delftsch Aardewerkmaker The Potter or Delftware maker , and you can find it freely available here. In my opinion, You can get a better impression of the Delft Blue production process by watching a Youtube video rather than writing out every step. The best Youtube video of the production process of Delft Blue I could find is the following video of a guided tour in the Royal Delft factory in Delft.
This video is the third video of a series of four videos. Prices of new Delft Blue items are reasonable. I have looked up prices at several websites, and prices of new items are in the ranges in the table below.
If you want to, you can buy much more expensive new Delft Blue items. Antique Delft Blue pieces are much more expensive than the prices of new Delft Blue pieces. The very best antique Delft Blue items usually end up in one of the best museums in The Netherlands. The exhibition is called Delftware Wonderware, and I can highly recommend visiting it.
Delft Blue is not a protected trade name, and any producer from anywhere can call his pottery Delft Blue. White and blue faience was also produced in other Dutch cities and other European countries. Thus, Delft Blue became a synonym for any white and blue faience, whether made in Delft or not. To determine if Delft Blue is genuine, experts analyze the marks of Delft potters at the back or bottom of Delftware products. In addition, experts will study the materials and decorations of the Delftware object to verify its authenticity.
Therefore, experts need also to study the materials and decorations of the object to ascertain it is genuine Delftware. These marks were usually painted at the back or bottom of Delft Blue items and contained the initials or the full name of the pottery owner.
A symbol associated with the pottery was also sometimes depicted. You can find an overview of all genuine Delftware marks here. The little bottle is a reference to its name. To verify if a specific Delft Blue item is a genuine antique, experts look at three aspects of the Delft blue item.
Delft Blue is coming from Delft, a small quaint town in The Netherlands. Delft Blue is not a protected trade name, and the name Delft Blue has become synonymous with white and blue faience, independent of where it is produced. However, it is still possible to buy Delft Blue earthenware coming from Delft itself. If you are interested in purchasing Delft Blue from Delft, make sure that their mark see above is depicted on the bottom. The best place to buy Delft Blue pottery is, of course, in Delft itself.
There are several places in Delft where you can go shopping and buy your favorite Blue Delft item. This shop has an extensive collection of Delft Blue pottery. It would be a pity if you are a visitor from China, and you return home with a Delft Blue souvenir made in China…!
The Royal Delft Blue factory has guided tours that allow you to see the Delft Blue production process yourself. You can buy their products after the guided tour in their shop.
That is an awesome combination if you are interested in understanding how Delft Blue is produced. Peaches are a symbol of longevity in China but would appear resembling oranges on Delftware. Intriguingly the tiles which are so frequently associated with Delftware were in fact made throughout Holland. Although Delftware was created as a cheaper alternative to Chinese porcelain, which remained in great demand throughout the 17th Century, the ceramics produced were still the finest in Europe.
However, it would take a British Queen to turn Delftware into a truly luxurious product. The couple became King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland after the Glorious Revolution of , when English aristocrats invited the couple to take the throne from James in order to avoid a Catholic succession.
Once she was also Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, her tastes became far more lavish. The Delftware flower pyramids are a highlight of the exhibition Credit: Gerrit Schreurs. Her commissions resulted in the largest and most technically advanced Delftware ever produced, including the elaborate vases and flower pyramids that literally and figuratively mark the high point of Delftware production.
These pyramids, today thought of as so archetypally Dutch because of their association with the display of tulips, had long been thought to be influenced by the porcelain pagoda at Nanjing which had been described in awe-struck tones by Johan Nieuhof in an account of a Dutch East India Company visit to the Emperor of China in A pyramid-shaped grave monument he designed with nozzles for candlesticks on its ribs is strikingly similar.
But the monopoly the Dutch East India Company had on the spice trade had a devastating impact on indigenous populations. A more explicit indication of the impact of colonialism can be found in a number of unusual Delft vases which are Chinese-influenced in every way — except for their depiction of black slaves.
Although there is no evidence that enslaved people worked in the Delft potteries, whoever designed the vases was more than aware that slavery was part of Dutch culture, both at home and in the colonies. Delftware fell out of favour in the 18th Century when ceramicists in Meissen discovered the secret of porcelain, and English creamware became the choice for everyday use.
However it began to return to popularity in the late 19th Century when antique collecting saw Dutch 17th Century style very much in vogue. Intriguingly, this may have been the first time when it was seen as a typically Dutch product rather than a Chinese imitation.
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