| So you fancy starting a collection but you're | | | | looking for either Duitch delft or English |
| not sure what to collect? How About . . . | | | | delft, but it's quite dificult with these |
| ?Every home will contain at least one example | | | | early examples to determine the place of |
| or more - in the kitchen, the bathroom, the | | | | origin.A few tips:Dutch delft often has a |
| fire surround. How long have they been in | | | | gritty texture, thick glaze and 'peppering' |
| existence and what should we look out for | | | | on the surface caused by air bubbles |
| when buying an Old Tile.When trying to | | | | exploding during firing.Dutch tiles are |
| identify an old tile, the most difficult | | | | painted in a very assured manner with great |
| aspect is where was it made and when.The most | | | | skill and expertise.The tin glaze of Dutch |
| famous tiles are referred to as delft. But | | | | tiles is usually whiter because it contains |
| why?The term delft is derived from the dutch | | | | more tin oxides making it liable to |
| town of Delft. The Netherlands began to | | | | craze.British delftware is typically less |
| produce tin-glazed earthenware in the late 15 | | | | finely potted and the glaze is often tinged |
| century. Potteries were established in many | | | | with blue or pink. Colours tend to be more |
| parts of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Haarlem | | | | muted due to the absorbency of the tin glaze |
| and Rotterdam, but by the late 17 century | | | | used. The glaze is much glossier and |
| Delft had become the most important centre of | | | | smoother than Dutch glaze and it does not |
| production and nearly 30 companies were | | | | craze easily.So to sum up:Gritty, thich white |
| working in the area.The original delft tile | | | | glaze, very well painted, crazed ....... |
| designs came about when Chinese porcelain | | | | Dutch.Smooth, glazed tinged blue or pink, |
| stopped being imported in the mid 17 century | | | | muted colours, little crazing .... |
| and the popular Chinese wares were reproduced | | | | English.Now all you have to do is get out |
| in blue and white. Initially made in blue | | | | there and start looking, but beware - lots of |
| and white, later in the century the Delft | | | | reproductions so take time to do a bit more |
| potters introduced a wider variety of | | | | studying by way of delftware tiles.Also |
| colours, yellow, purple, blue, red, green and | | | | remember, plates, flower bricks, jugs, posset |
| black.Flemish and Dutch potters arrived and | | | | pots, handwarmers, puzzle jugs, char dishes, |
| settled in London in 1570, but it wasn't | | | | vases, bowls and beautifully glazed drug jars |
| until the 18 century that the delftware tile | | | | for use by apothocaries were produced in |
| industry became established in Britian. The | | | | delftware, but that's another story.We run a |
| main centres were London, Bristol and | | | | small but beautifully formed General Antiques |
| Liverpool. The tiles usually depicted | | | | Shop which is situated in Kirkby Lonsdale In |
| flowers, ships, landscapes and many scenes of | | | | the Yorkshire Dales/Cumbria Border. |
| biblical subjects.So now we know that we're | | | | |