In-depth Articles

Despite the Portuguese importations of Asian goods starting in the early sixteenth century, Chinese porcelain was rarely seen in Europe before 1600. The small quantities of porcelain that were imported to Europe were rare and expensive, and almost exclusively collected by the nobility. In 1600, the market for Chinese porcelain changed significantly when the Dutch…

The extraordinary legacy behind the creation of the museum of Bailleul in 1859 is remarkably eclectic, while drawing on the identity of its collector, Benoît De Puydt. This collection testifies to a widespread phenomenon in nineteenth-century European bourgeois circles, and draws visitors into the world of a local personality. Born in the French commune of…

De Roos (The Rose) factory was built on the west side of Noordeinde street in Delft in 1661. A lease from 1662 offers an early glimpse of a well-run company in its infancy. The lease states that for example the tenant was obliged to maintain the kiln with certain tools and to take care of…

In 1911, Albert Evenepoel (1835–1911) bequeathed his formidable collection of Dutch earthenware to the Museum of Decorative and Industrial Art in his home town. This generosity was the culmination of a life dedicated to earthenware, and more specifically to the production of Delft in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Indeed, for over 40 years, the…

In 1677, Mary Stuart (1662-1694), daughter of James, Duke of York and future James II, arrived in Holland after a treacherous journey from England. She was fifteen years old, and had just married her cousin, William III, stadholder of Holland. With her animated and personable demeanor, the Dutch people quickly developed an adoration for Queen…

The Tudor rose, which is sometimes also called the Union rose, is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England. Its name and origins come from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and…

The ‘t Fortuyn (The Fortune) factory was started in 1661 by Joris Jansz. Mesch, and was located on Lange Geer alongside De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) and several other Delftware factories.1 The factory enjoyed a long and successful existence, although a portion of the history and employee details can only surmised because the factory…

For centuries, fans have been used for both utilitarian and ceremonial functions. The fan originated in Asia, and was first used for cooling more than 2,000 years ago during the Zhou Dynasty. The exotic objects were brought to Europe by trade travelers in the sixteenth century. Fans were also seen in the decoration on Chinese…

The popularity of Delft earthenware in England reached a peak in the last decades of the seventeenth century under the influence of Queen Mary II of England and her Dutch husband King-Stadtholder William III.1 In 1700, there were three hundred noble families in England, each with their own newly obtained coats of arms. Many of…

Ancient mythological stories featuring Greek and Roman gods have been leading sources of inspiration for painters since the Renaissance, when interest in the culture, philosophy and literature of classical antiquity skyrocketed. Mythological stories, in addition to Christian motifs, were widely depicted in the visual arts well into the Baroque and Rococo periods. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is…