GLOSSARY

A blue-and-white woordenlijst

“It will be necessary as we proceed to make use of certain terms, the meaning of which should be defined with as much exactness as possible. It may be premised that considerable confusion exists in the nomenclature of the art. This has arisen partly from the want of precision in the language employed by writers, and partly from diversity of usage.”

—Jennie J. Young, The Ceramic Art: A Compendium of the History and Manufacture of Pottery and Porcelain, 1878

Delft

Ringed with canals and “dazzled by the pale sunlight…” as described by Marcel Proust, is the diminutive inland Dutch city of Delft. Walking Delft’s brick paved streets in the 17th and 18th centuries, the melodies of carillon bells were heard, and the air was filled with the smell of wood fires of pottery kilns. It is here behind its red brick gabled facades that artists and artisans created not only masterpieces on canvas and panel – but works of art in pottery.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ceramics

As Europeans and Americans began to fall under the spell of collecting blue and white from tiles to masses of dishes, bowls and vases— a ‘Chinamania’ —in the 19th century, a new term was permeating the English lexicon: ceramics. First used by erudite collectors and enthusiasts beginning around 1850, the word is an adaptation of the French céramique and derived from the Greek keramos or ‘pottery’. Ceramics refer to objects made of clay that have been permanently hardened by heat. Generally grouped by their material composition and firing temperature, most ceramics fall into three basic types: porcelain, stoneware and earthenware.

Author’s collection

Porcelain

Porcelain stands apart with its luminous white clay and mysterious balance of delicacy and strength. Fired at the highest temperatures (1200–1450°C), it develops a smooth, nonporous, translucent quality that is both refined and hard, producing a bell-like resonance when tapped. Made of kaolin, a fine white clay, and petunse, a feldspathic rock, porcelain was perfected in sixth century China. For centuries, its production remained a closely guarded secret, fueling Europe’s obsession and relentless attempts to replicate this prized ceramic. Yet, despite the clear distinctions between ceramic types, the potters of Delft pushed the boundaries of tradition, developing earthenware so exquisitely delicate and refined that it was often mistaken for porcelain—and often earning the seventeenth-century moniker Delft porcelyne.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Tulipière or Tulip Vase

Only the truly wealthiest and most powerful owned the grandest form of Delftware,a pyramidal flower vase called a tulipière or tulip vase. These towering multi-level vases, some almost five feet in height, were characterized by their profusion of spouts for individual flowers. The name was trm born in the 19th century during the resurgent interest in ‘Tulipmania’, though the objects themselves were developed in the later 17th century, well after the Dutch vogue for tulips in the 1630s had passed. These vases were not only for tulips but a breadth of flowering botanical beauties, including jonquils, hyacinth, narcissi, peonies, roses and irises.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Dutch Delftware

Call it Dutch Delftware, Delftware, or just Delft, this tin-glazed earthenware was made in the town of Delft from approximately 1620 to 1850. Potters around the world had made tin-glazed earthenware for millennia, but the artisans of this small Dutch community in Holland took the medium to new heights and created multitudes of forms, from everyday dishes and bowls to ornamental garnitures and monumental “vases with spouts” unlike anything seen before. Delftware’s glazed surfaces could be decorated with an infinite variety of styles and motifs inspired by everything from Chinese imported goods to European engravings and often—though not always—in shades of blue and white.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Earthenware

Earthenware, formed from natural clay in warm shades from sandy buff to terracotta red, is the oldest form of ceramics. Dating to at least the tenth millennium b.c.e. in Japan, Jomon potters—mostly women—are believed to have crafted some of the first vessels. Fired at relatively low temperatures (800–1100°C), it stays porous unless glazed, and its softer, less dense structure often requires thicker forms for stability. While more prone to chipping than other ceramics, its accessibility and versatility have made it a staple in cultures worldwide for thousands of years.

The National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York

The Dutch East India Company

Between 1602-1682, at least 3.2 million pieces of Chinese and Japanese porcelain were imported by the VOC. By 1730-1789 that number had exploded to 42 million. The Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) was the world’s first multinational company established in 1602. When its ships returned to the cities of the Dutch Republic, their cargo of wooden crates were marked with the company’s distinctive interlocking initials: VOC. These crates carried—riches from the East including spices, silk, exotic plants and animals, as well as blue and white porcelain for sale throughout the world. The VOC was the uncontested leader in international trade in the 17th century making many Dutch very very wealthy.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Guild of St. Luke

No Delftware from the most grand tulip vase to the smallest butter dish could be produced without the The Guild of St. Luke. Regulating the commerce and production of artists and artisans in Delft, from painters and art dealers to glassmakers and Delftware potters. The Guild’s fixed and numerous rules and regulations were attentively followed by its members, including compulsory masters’ tests and annual dues. Potters working in Delft who were non- members would be fined. Any Delftware produced by non-members of the Guild of St. Luke could be seized and destroyed.

Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden

Winkelhouder

From the Dutch ‘winkel’ (shop) and ‘houster’ (keeper), the winkelhouder was an owner- manager of a Delftware pottery, overseeing its global business. Each pottery was required to have a single owner-manager, who had to be either a master craftsman or a winkelhouder. Like the Delftware potter, the winkelhouder was required to join the Guild of St. Luke and followed its lengthy list of strict laws. But there was no rule that they couldn’t be a woman.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Dutch Tiles

Dutch tiles (sometimes called Delft tiles) are frequently associated with Delftware but were actually produced in factories throughout Holland. These squares of tin-glazed earthenware were used by the Dutch for practical as well as decorative purposes—around fireplaces, along baseboards, covering sections of walls, areas prone to smoke, dirt and dampness. Dutch tiles were also decorated with a myriad of motifs, everything from blooming roses to instructive religious scenes to children at play.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Stoneware

Tough and dense, stoneware is prized for its hardness, as its name suggests. Its clay varies in tones from red and brown to slate gray and black, depending on mineral content. Fired at higher temperatures (1100–1300°C), it becomes vitrified, forming a smooth, nonporous body that can hold liquids without the need for glazing. Strong and adaptable, stoneware became a preferred material for everything from tableware to durable storage vessels.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Kast/kasten

Homes of burghers, prosperous Dutch citizens in the 17th and 18th centuries, prominently featured kasten, tall and broad cabinets with deeply molded cornices. Often made of rich exotic woods, kasten served as storage for valuable household items such as silverware and linens. But a kast was also a vehicle for the proud display of prized objects, denoting power, wealth and influence. Chinese porcelain and sparkling Delftware were prominently placed across the top of the kast as well as symmetrically arranged on mantles and above doorways.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Plateelbakkers

Delft potters or plateelbakkers, were required to pass the rigorous master tests of the Guild of St. Luke in order to produce their works of art. To prepare for this role they apprenticed for six years honing their craft. The potters of Delft produced millions of pieces of Delftware from their wheels and benches, and each year sold not just in the Dutch market but around the globe, from Indonesia to Massachusetts, fueling the world’s insatiable appetite for blue and white.

Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht