One of the things the Netherlands is famous for is the Delft Blue porcelain stoneware – vases, tableware and many other beautifully crafted items. All feature the distinct “white and blue” designs that over the years has become the iconic look of this kind of stoneware.

So we decided to visit the official Royal Delft Blue porcelain museum, located in the town of Delft, from where the line gets its name.

De Porceleyne Fles – the Delft Blue museum

The museum is called “De Porceleyne Fles”, which translates into “the porcelain bottle”.

The museum is super interesting and offers a self-guided tour. You get a headset, that when held against the various hotspots in the museum, tells you about the item on display in that part of the museum. The headsets come in a variety of languages, so is truly a multi-cultural experience.

We learned about the history of this earthenware. Its roots lie in the Dutch appreciation of Chinese porcelain, which also featured a white and blue look. Initially, the dutch potters copied that look, but the Chinese imports were still preferred as the porcelain was of higher quality (meaning it did not break as easily). However, when turmoil in China caused the import to dry up, the Dutch potters’ offerings picked up considerably and the increased competition led to a higher quality of porcelain. The Dutch pottery industry thrived and grew to a large number of potteries – 34 of them just in Delft alone!

Things changed however with the French occupation of Holland combined with the the UK-based Wedgwood pottery which was of superior quality and, finally, to the discovery of a clay that that dried to a “bone white” color, thus eliminating the need to glaze the stoneware first, before painting the final designs.

As a result, the Delft Blue porcelain pottery industry collapsed, with the “Porceleyne Fles” being the only surviving pottery in Delft. This was the year 1840 (they were founded in 1653, so was already over 200 years old).

The pottery struggled and changed hands a few times until, in 1876 it was sold to a local engineer with a vision. Under his reign new (and vastly improved), methods of production were introduced, that resulted in superior porcelain earthenware that captured the attention of people around the world.

This period was truly the “turnaround” of the Delft Blue line of earthenware, culminating in 1919, when the term “Royal” was added to the name, making it “Royal Delft Blue”, a name it still has today.

The strength of the line allowed scope for some diversification and new product lines were introduced. Lines like Black Delft pottery and even a line of industrial, architectural glazed tiles were introduced. Collaboration with local Dutch artists also produced product lines for special interest groups, but all had one thing in common; the Baking and Glazing process.

Delft Blue Today

This baking and glazing process is still a very “manual” one, honoring the time-tested methods that gave the line its reputation. Molds are made by hand, the clay mix is prepared by hand, poured into the molds by hand, placed into the ovens, one-by-one, by hand, painted by hand, then backed again and, finally, manually inspected before deemed to be “perfect” for sale. Needless to say, this manual process makes the pieces expensive, partially due to the time and number of people involved, but also because this process limits the sheer number of pieces that can be made. Each mold can only be used between 80 and 100 times.

Quite a fascinating history of rise, collapse and comeback, mostly thanks to one man with a vision and some natural marketing instincts. The Royal Delft Blue Porcelain is a great Dutch “success story”!