Delft Blue Wallplates

Delft blue wall plates or decorative plates

In the 16th century large quantities of pottery were produced in the Netherlands. Much was for everyday use, simply decorated. But also many finer decorative plates were made with religious motifs, scenes with windmills and fishing boats, hunting scenes, landscapes and seascapes.

These typically Dutch scenes can still be found on contemporary Delft blue wall plates. But in addition to these classic themes, there are also decorative wall plates with more modern themes.

A wall plate can vary from small (around 16 cm in diameter) to very large (around 36 cm in diameter). Most plates are round, but a scalloped edge is also a common decoration. The edge of the plate is usually richly decorated with flowers or line patterns.

History

After 1570, a flourishing industry began to emerge in the Netherlands that made tin glazed earthenware. When the Dutch started to sail on China in 1596, they learned about Chinese porcelain. In 1602 two ships from Zeeland managed to conquer a Portuguese ship full of Chinese porcelain. The cargo was auctioned in Middelburg. A further booty in 1604 contained no less than 100,000 pieces of porcelain. This enormous quantity of high-quality porcelain from the Ming dynasty had a huge influence on Dutch industry, especially in Delft.

Nevertheless, the Dutch did not copy the Chinese porcelain at first, because the VOC (United East India Company) was importing millions of porcelain pieces from China. Only when supplies from China faltered around 1620 with the death of the last Ming emperor did Dutch pottery's see an opening in Delft to create a cheap alternative, the Delft Blue. The peak period for Dutch pottery was in the period 1640-1740.

The Dutch museums (such as the Rijksmuseum) have nice examples of work from this period in their collection.