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Permanent collection

Bezoek Royal Delft

Discover the museum

Royal collection

The special collection of Delft pottery of King William III can be admired in the Royal Delft Museum. He donated his collection to De Porceleyne Fles in 1887, on the one hand in recognition of the efforts to revive the once famous Delft pottery and on the other hand as study material for shapes and decoration techniques. The royal donation was gratefully accepted, and De Porceleyne Fles happily met the condition set by King William III: that the collection had to be exhibited in a dignified manner within the company.

More than blue

Delftware is a collective name for pottery that is decorated according to various techniques, which have existed since the seventeenth century. The Delft Blue is by far the best known. But the colorful Polychrome has also been part of the extensive Royal Delft collection since 1879.

Other styles by Royal Delft

Sectile panel with portrait of Joost Thooft

Thooft & co.

Joost Thooft, who became owner of De Porceleyne Fles in 1876, had an insatiable thirst for knowledge about the product and breathed new life into the company. He was assisted by Adolf Le Comte, who took over as artistic director in 1877. From that moment on, De Porceleyne Fles no longer only developed an extensive Delftware range, but also numerous other products.

Contemporary Delftware

In 1988, De Porceleyne Fles started a collection of modern ceramics. From that moment on, contemporary artists such as Jan Snoeck and Borek Sipek found their way to the factory. Various special collections have been released over the years, in collaboration with, among others, Dick Bruna and Henk Schiffmacher. The Blue D1653 line, designed by Arjen Brekveld, was introduced in 2012, and the Proud Mary line went on sale in 2019.

Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo

The monumental hall way

Discover the monumental building

In the past, Royal Delft has produced architectural ceramics for, among others, the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam and also the Old Post Office in Rotterdam. In the Royal Delft Museum, including in the ceramic rooms and the courtyard, you can see replicas and examples of architectural work that was mainly manufactured in the period between 1880 and 1930. The rooms are decorated by, among other things, pillars, tile tableaus, ceramic elements and even a fountain.