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Equestrian Elegance

Delft Faience Horses as Art and Symbol Horses have forged a unique and enduring connecting with humans due to their  remarkable blend of intelligence, elegance, and strength. Initially hunted, the horse earned admiration, prompting humans to recognize their utility. Over time, horses became invaluable as diligent workers, a source of pleasure in sports, and even…

Beyond borders

Dutch seaborne trade and the spread of Delft faience in the Baltic region   (Fig. 1) Tulipière, Delft, circa 1690, marked AK for Adrianus Kocx, owner of 'De Grieksche A' (The Greek A) from 1686 until 1701, Collection of Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Inv. nr. Inv. nr 1891-282   The mother of…

J. Kilian (1716-1744) A Delftware shop with female staff.

Leading Ladies

The leading Ladies of the Delft pottery industry in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Based on sixteenth and seventeenth century travel reports, Dutch women were bossy, decisive, dominant, imperious, and exceptionally clean.(1) While these claims were likely exaggerated, they would have stemmed from the astonishment over the extensive freedom enjoyed by Dutch women compared their…

The Rise of ‘Delft purple’

We recently acquired a very rare, large Delft tureen with cover and stand. The stand and body are decorated in monochrome manganese, and the cover with a green and ochre knop. Traditionally, research has favored the origins of Blue and White Delftware, Imari- and Cashmere palettes, White Delft and objects decorated with Petit-Feu colors. However,…

A Recalibration of Attributions

Attributing marks to the Witte Ster (the White Star) factory and in particular to specific persons, has been difficult over the years due to limited archival material. Henry Havard, a French art critic and researcher made the first attempt to attribute marks when he produced a catalogue for the Delftware collection of the famous Dutch…

Delft and Disaster

Natural disasters have wreaked havoc on civilizations throughout time. The effects of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are still felt today. On a smaller scale, a recent earthquakes in the Dutch province of Groningen was very impactful for the people involved. Although rare, several earthquakes were reported in Western Europe in the seventeenth century.…

English Delftware

Delftware is a popular term applied not only to tin-glazed earthenware made in the city of Delft, but in many other production centers within the Netherlands and beyond, especially in England. Starting in the early seventeenth century, English earthenware was called ‘Galleyware,’ later 'White Ware' and subsequently known as Delft or more common 'English Delftware'.…

A pair of urns, Delft, attributed to Adrianus Kocx, 1689–94, h. 23.6 cm, Dyrham Park, Gloucestershire NT 452218 © National Trust Images/Robert Morris

Diplomacy, Politics and Warfare on Delftware at Dyrham Park

In the 1690s, English courtiers ordered elaborate Delft flower vases and garden pots for display in their palaces and gardens filled with costly exotics as visual evidence of their loyalty to the new Dutch monarchs William III and Queen Mary II. Their inspiration was Hampton Court Palace, and in particular the pavilion, known as the…

The Young Nightingale

In 1723 The Greek A Factory (De Grieksche A) made at least three plates depicting the ship De Jonge Nagtegaal (The Young Nightingale— nightingale being the translation of the Nagtegaal family’s name), two inscribed “schipper Henderik Jacobs Nagtegaal van Amelant Anno 1723 D 10 April” and one where Jacobs is spelled Jakos.1 The ship flies…

Waster, tin-glazed earthenware Delft ca. 1670-1700 inv. no. LM 2033-B Collection of Museum Prinsenhof Delft, on loan from the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands

Pottery rejects with a view

Besides the superb pieces of Delft earthenware on display in various museums and held by passionate private collectors, there are also items that will almost never find pride of place in a showcase or exhibition. We’re talking about broken, incomplete or failed pieces that have been discovered in the ground, for instance during archaeological excavations.…

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