What is Modern Dutch Delftware?
Delftware began as a Dutch imitation of the Wan-Li (Ming Dynasty) Chinese porcelain that was first imported into the Netherlands in the early 17th century. At the time, Europeans did not know the secret to making porcelain and the import business for these articles grew rapidly. By 1650, several factories in Delft were producing excellent porcelain imitations, and at its peak around 1700, Delft was the home to over 30 factories. However, all but one of the factories in Delft had closed by 1795, in a large part due to the ceramic genius of Josiah Wedgewood from England. In 1760, Wedgewood invented a hard-fired stoneware called creamware that was much stronger than the brittle Delft earthenware which quickly took over Delftware’s low-end market. The rebirth of Delftware that occurred in the last quarter of the 19th century was partially an offshoot from the Arts & Crafts movement that rejected mass-production and called for a return to handcrafted decorative arts. It is from this rebirth
