"A thing of beauty is a joy forever" by Royal Delft - De Porceleyne Fles: only made in Delft, since 1653. Exquisite handpainted antique or vintage ceramics, or authentic new handmade items. Royal Delft handpainted earthenware can be identified with the Porceleyne Fles factory mark: a pharmacy bottle, the intertwined JT initials (Joost Thooft, first director) and the word Delft: see the shop logo.
If you are knowledgeable about Delft blue earthenware than you already know that Porceleyne Fles factory is not only the oldest surviving producer of Delftware, but also the most respected for its artistry.
Quote: "Since the end of the 19th Century many companies have imitated Porceleyne Fles and tried to steal its thunder. But few have come even close, and none have surpassed Porceleyne Fles." Read more at www.delfthuis.com

A brief history

“De Porceleyne Fles” is the only surviving of the 32 seventeenth century pottery factories in Delft. It is known for its high quality Delft pottery and has been active for almost 370 years without interruption.
Delft blue became popular in the Netherlands in the early 17th century when the VOC (United East- Indian Company) introduced blue painted Chinese porcelain. De Porceleyne Fles started in 1653 when David Antonisz van de Pieth converted his house into a pottery factory. Due to high demand Delft earthenware (Delftware) production increased enormously, also caused by the Chinese civil war from 1640 to 1670.
However, from 1840 De Porceleyne Fles was the last remaining factory from the 17th century. Demand fell due to reduced innovation and increased English competition, such as stoneware from Wedgwood.
In 1876, Joost Thooft breathed new life into the factory, from a personal interest in Delft blue, to bring back the heyday of the 17th century. He collected important designers and painters, such as Adolf Le Comte and Leon Senf. Thooft centralized the various production locations into one factory in 1916. In 1919, De Porceleyne Fles has been awarded the designation "Royal".

Handmade and handpainted

The production process of Delft earthenware starts with the composition of the clay. This consists of approximately 10 different raw materials of which the most important are: kaolin, chalk, feldspar and quartz. They are carefully mixed with water creating a liquid mass (casting slip). Most raw materials are imported from England, the Czech Republic and France. The casting slip is poured into a plaster cast. The porous plaster absorbs the water from the clay mass, leaving a layer of hard clay on the inside of the cast (clay body). When the clay body has the required thickness, the remainder of the still liquid clay is poured from the clay cast. After a while the product is strong enough to be removed from the cast without this causing any deformities. Any seams or irregularities are then meticulously removed.

Some products are cast as separate pieces and assembled afterwards, ears to cups, for example and heads to cows. Large plates are produced on a mechanical potters’ wheel. After the clay has dried sufficiently, a thin layer of engobe is applied. Engobe is a layer of liquid clay sprayed on the clay body in order to achieve the best painting results. The product is then fired for the first time at a temperature of 1160°C, after which the fired clay is referred to as “biscuit”. After the biscuit has been hand-painted, it is submerged in a glazing bath or sprayed with a glaze. The glaze covers the decoration with an opaque white layer. During the second firing process (“smooth firing”) the glaze melts at a temperature of 1200°C into a transparent layer of glass. The decoration resurfaces at that stage. The chemical and physical reaction between clay, engobe, paint and glaze at that temperature is what creates the typical Delft Blue colour.

Condition

Many ceramics are prone to crazing and Delftware particularly so. Crazing (or craquelé) are actually small cracks in the outer layer of the glaze, due to different loss of elasticity in the materials applied. Crazing is commensurate with age and often already visible on pieces that are only ten years old. Collector items may well show minor chips, cracks or even restoration. This must however always be indicated in an item's description and shown in photographs of the listing. To put it otherwise: be aware of an old piece of Porceleyne Fles that appears too perfect for it's age.

Handmade transfer

Besides the entirely hand painted assortment, Royal Delft also produces collection articles that are made by hand. The decorations on these items are screen-printed and glued onto the product by means of a transfer. During the firing process it melts into the glaze and, as a result, shows an exact replica of the original painting. Handmade products can be recognised by the Royal Delft stamp at the rear or bottom of the item.