Royal Delft

From our partners at Royal Delft – A History of Royal Delft pottery:

“Paintbrushes carefully touch the white earthenware, whilst elsewhere clay is poured into handmade moulds. Welcome to the Royal Delft factory, where Dutch craftsmen have been creating iconic Delft Blue for almost 400 years. There used to be over 30 different potteries in Delft. Making their Delft Blue ceramics famous worldwide. Established in 1653, Royal Delft is now the last remaining Delftware factory from the 17th century.

The world-renowned Royal Delft Blue is still produced according to centuries-old traditions and everything is done by hand. The training to become a master painter takes around ten years. The painters use a black paint that primarily consists of the pigment cobalt oxide. When the earthenware is fired, this oxide undergoes a chemical reaction so that it takes on a deep blue colour – Delft Blue! The painting process is a painstaking task, as the unglazed surface immediately absorbs the paint, so that the painter is unable to correct any mistakes.

Nowadays, the factory is open to visitors from all over the world. A visit to the museum introduces the production process and history of the company. One of the best ways to experience Royal Delft is by doing a painting workshop, an opportunity to discover what it is like to be a master painter at Royal Delft by making your own design on a Delft Tile. With the professional guidance of a master painter, visitors discover new talents and a realization of why it takes 10 years to become a professional.

Royal Delft also offers a unique high tea experience that brings you back to the origins of the company. In the time Royal Delft was founded, Amsterdam was the trading capital of the world. Dutch merchants sailed the world over collecting spices and selling goods like Delft Blue. Using only spices and tea from Dutch 17th-century adventures, recipes from the Dutch Golden Age look rather simple nowadays, in terms of ingredients. Yet these same ingredients where quite expensive for the people back then. The 17th century was a time of experimentation with new flavours, encouraged by the massive import of spices from the indies.”