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Your Delft Blue

What is the difference between ceramics, earthenware, and porcelain?

Delft Blue is made from earthenware, a type of ceramics. Ceramics is a collective term for all products made from fired clay. The name is derived from “keramos,” the Greek word for potters. Ceramics can be divided into earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The distinction between these types of ceramics is determined by the composition of the raw materials and the firing temperature. All handmade and hand-painted products from Royal Delft fall under Delft Blue earthenware.

More information

Can Royal Delft repair my broken Delft piece?

Royal Delft does not restore pottery. Here you can go for restoration:
  • Archeoplan, Kleveringweg 51, Delft, tel. 015 – 2052083
  • Koerts Restaurators, Vierde Broekdijk 43/b, Aalten, tel. 0543 – 472905
  • Margot van Os Restoration, Neuweg 77, 1214 GM Hilversum, tel. 035 – 6239789 (margotvanos@tiscali.nl) www.margotvanos.nl
  • Petra Bochove, Harderwijkstraat 45, Den Haag, tel. 070 – 3609118
  • Ron Nieuwenhof, Beulakerweg 79, Giethoorn, tel. 0521 – 362828
  • Adriaan van Dam, Mgr. Van de Weteringstraat 13A, Utrecht, tel.  030 – 2302711, www.derestaurator.nl
  • Sabine Westerhuis, Nieuwe Achtergracht 8, Amsterdam, tel. 020 – 4231808
  • Eva Wolfs, Wolfs Conservation and Restoration, Amsterdam, tel. 06-53262065, www.wolfsconservation.com
  • Restauratie Atelier Carlijn Louwers, Westeinde 339, Den Haag, tel. 070 – 4271672
  • Restauratie Atelier Jeroen ten Hoorn, Populierenstraat 14, Den Haag, 070 – 3457054
  • Atelier van Beemen, Roosmarijn van Beemen Ma Pd. Res., Nieuwe Looierstraaat 80 II, 1017 VD  Amsterdam,  tel. 06-15558749, info@ateliervanbeemen.nl
  • Maud Schermer, Karel Doormanlaan 220, 3572 NZ  Utrecht, tel. 06-10794875, www.schermer-restauratie.nl
  • Restauratie Atelier Haverkamp, Leiden tel. 06-27876402 restauratie@nikehaverkamp.nl, www.nikehaverkamp.nl

How can I have my product appraised?

Royal Delft, as a producer and museum, does not appraise earthenware.

The value of Delft Blue earthenware depends on various factors, such as its age and market demand. An antique dealer or appraiser is best suited to assist with this, and we gladly refer you to the Federation of Appraisers, Brokers, and Auctioneers in Movable Goods.

Find your valuation expert here

 

How can I recognize a Royal Delft product? What is the trade mark?

Each hand-painted object from Royal Delft is marked on the underside or back with the company’s trademark and a year code. To the left of the mark are the painter’s initials, while to the right, two letters indicate the year code. Using the list of year codes, you can determine the year your Delftware was made. Since 1876, the initials of the painters have also been recorded.

A non-hand-painted Royal Delft product features a crown, with the text “Royal Delft” and the year 1653 below it.

Trade marks

Year codes

Initials painters

How can I determine the age of my product?

Since 1879, a year code in letters has been used. Using the list of year codes, you can determine the year in which your Delftware was made.

Year codes

My product has a different mark. How can I establish its origin?

One of the most imitated decors in ceramics is the Delft decor, or the decoration in blue on a white background. Typically Dutch motifs are often used such as mill landscapes, seascapes and motifs derived from Chinese porcelain such as flowers, leaves and tendrils or scenes with Chinese figures. Sufficient information about the origin and makers of Delft pottery dating from the 17th and 18th centuries can be found in the specialist literature. In the vast majority of these works, the trademark description ends at the beginning of the 19th century. Nevertheless, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, numerous ceramic companies at home and abroad started manufacturing ‘Delft’-like earthenware or porcelain, the brands of which are not described. In July 1998, Stephen J. van Hook published the book ‘Discovering Dutch Delftware’. In addition to Royal Delft, you can also find various other producers of Delft pottery. You can also try to trace the origin via this website.

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