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Permanent collection

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Royal collection

The museum of Royal Delft has housed the collection of delftware owned by King William III since 1887. In that year the King donated his collection to De Porceleyne Fles, on the one hand in recognition of its efforts to revive the once so famous delftware and on the other hand as study material for designs and decoration techniques. Nevertheless, this royal gift was accepted very gratefully and the company was more than willing to accept the condition laid down by King William, namely that the collection should be exhibited within the company “in dignified fashion”.

More than blue

Delft earthenware is a collective term for all earthenware  with decorations made by various techniques which have been in existence since the seventeenth century. Delft Blue is by far the most famous of those. Besides the Delft Blue also Polychrome has been a part of the extended Royal Delft collection.

Other styles by Royal Delft

Sectile panel with portrait of Joost Thooft

Thooft & co.

Joost Thooft, the new owner of De Porceleyne Fles since 1876, had an insatiable hunger for knowledge about the product and the company was given a new lease of life under his management. He was advised and assisted by Adolf Le Comte, who joined the company as artistic manager in 1877. From that moment on De Porceleyne Fles did not only manufacture an extensive assortment of delftware, but also created several new products which were produced for either a shorter or longer period of time.

Contemporary Delft Blue

In 1988, De Porceleyne Fles started building a collection of modern pottery. Since then, the factory has welcomed various contemporary artists like Jan Snoeck and Borek Sipek, and has produced a number of collections in partnership with them. Also, there is work by various other artists, including Dick Bruna, who is undoubtedly familiar to anyone with his best-known creation miffy. Blue D1653 was introduced in 2012. In the last years Royal Delft introduced Proud Mary and the collection Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo.

Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo

The monumental hall way

Discover the monumental building

In the ceramic rooms and the courtyard garden you will find replica’s and examples of building ceramics produced primarily in the period 1880 – 1930. Pillars, tile paintings, ceramic elements and even a fountain adorn these spaces. In the past Royal Delft created building ceramics for iconic buildings such as the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam and the old Post Office in Rotterdam.

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