Delft Blue and the Netherlands

When the Belgian potters in the Netherlands first laid eyes on Chinese porcelain in 1602, they were enchanted. Belgian potters had fled Antwerp back in 1585 when Spanish conquerors laid waste to their city. They settled in Delft, a town just south of current Dutch capital city The Hague, and continued their craftsmanship. This Chinese porcelain had a beautiful sheen and unlike any they had ever seen. The potters were determined to create their own.

From 1600 to 1800, the city of Delft was at the center of pottery production in Europe. Delft Blue pottery was enormously popular and rich families would display it prominently on their fireplace.

Status and Prestige

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a new class of merchants had increasing buying power and sought ways to showcase their wealth. Besides fashionable clothing, furniture, and extravagant lifestyles, flowers, and artistic pottery was another way to display status and prestige. 

In the years of Tulip Mania, decorative Delft Blue vases served to display the tulips.

Delft Blue Collection

Artist William DePaula has reimagined Delft Blue with marine animals in a quatrain of paintings which will look as beautiful in your house as it did in the home of 17th century Dutch merchants.