The Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), or the Dutch War of Independence, transformed the Netherlands and gave birth to the Dutch Republic. The war grappled with freedom of religion and conscience, the right to self-determination and the right to participation. The leitmotif of the war was the emerging reformation and the fact that the Spanish king,…
De Porceleyne Fles (The Porcelain Bottle) factory was founded on the West side of the Oosteinde in the city of Delft around 1653. Of the more than thirty factories that once existed in Delft, this is the only one still operating today. De Porceleyne Fles is currently housed on the Rotterdamseweg. The factory was bought…
During the second half of the nineteenth century, there was a renewed interest in the decorative arts, and particularly ceramics. Dutch Delftware became a serious pursuit of study for art historians and collectors, and contemporary potters soon began producing Delftware replicas to satisfy demand. The Samson factory in Paris was among the producers of wares…
Every month we present you a special object from the Aronson Antiquairs’ collection. This month, we would like to show you this petit feu and gilded puzzle jug from circa 1730. The puzzle jug is one of the oldest jokes in the Delft potters’ continually playful repertoire. Puzzle jugs were intended as an amusing tavern game…
In 1794, Gerrit Paape wrote the treatise De Plateelbakker of Delftsch Aardewerkmaaker (‘The Faience Potter or Maker of Delftware’), in which he outlined many aspects of the eighteenth-century process of producing Delftware. This invaluable resource offers a step-by-step explanation of production, from the kinds of soil and all the workmen and their functions, to the…
Every month we present you a special object from the Aronson Antiquairs’ collection. This month, we would like to show you this plaque from circa 1745. Faience was made throughout Europe, yet until around 1900, anything that looked typically Dutch was labeled Delftware. It was not until between 1910 and 1920 that a reasonable distinction was…
Between 1550 and 1850, the Netherlands experienced exceptionally cold winters and relatively cool summers, a period in meteorological history known as the ‘Little Ice Age.’ The storms, freezing cold, ice and snow of these Dutch winters lent themselves to enchanting and atmospheric scenes often portrayed in seventeenth-century paintings. These joyful scenes of snow and ice…
Every month we present you a special object from the Aronson Antiquairs’ collection. This month, we would like to show you this pair of blue and white candlesticks from circa 1765. Before electrification, candles were the main source of light after dark. However, they were considered a luxury, even in the well-to-do home. Thus, the expression…
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the city of Delft boasted a number of flourishing industries in addition to the well known earthenware. There was a cloth industry, breweries, and also a rich silver industry. Around 1600, the finest silver objects in the Low Countries were made in Delft. The city was transformed when William…
Every month we present you a special object from the Aronson Antiquairs’ collection. This month, we would like to show you this pair of small blue and white jardinières with stands from circa 1780. In the second half of the 17th century many of the wealthy urban bourgeoisie built country residences (Buitenplaatsen) along the Amstel, Spaarne…
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