In
May 1998 I visited, for the first time, De Delftse Pauw, a pottery
art factory, located in Delft, The Netherlands. This is one of
the two official factories in the Netherlands which produces the
famous Delft Blue pottery, known all over the world. You might
be surprised to know that there is also coloured Delftware and
even black. I was told though, that the black line was discontinued
many years ago.However, I have seen some of the black Delftware
and it is extremely beautiful. Our guide took us through all the
manufactural stages of how this Delft pottery is produced.
All pieces are completely handpainted.The typical colours are
achieved by chemical reaction. The artists have to know precicely
what they are doing to get the effect they are seeking. The
decorations are still the same beautiful traditional designs as
were used in the past .I bought two small vases for myself. The
vases have the same design painted on them, except one is Delft
blue and the other Coloured Delft.
Our
guide
Here you can see our very pleasant and knowledgeable guide explaining
to us what the slush looks like of which the pottery is made , the
functioning of the kilns and how the pottery is baked,using the
original molds.
The
Delftse Pauw is one of the very few places left which produces
original Delft pottery in the old fatherland tradition. On each
piece you can find a handpainted seal which proves that this piece
is an original Delft Blauw pottery. There are many imitators and
most of the "Delft" pottery you see in the souvenir shops is mass
produced for the tourist trade. Even in Delft you can find artists
who have their own shop and do handpaint "Delft" pieces. I bought
a piece in such a shop from a Yugoslav artist who came to The
Netherlands 6 years ago and who used to work at one of the official
factories to learn the trade. He also uses his own designs and
handpainted seal, but this pottery is not considered to be original
Delft Blue pottery, even though it was produced in Delft.On the
right you can see him wrapping the pillbox that I bought from
him. He used to be a sculptor and did restaurations in churches
in his own country.
The
seals that are painted on the bottom of the pottery from the official
factories are legally registered trademarks , registered with the
Chamber of Commerce in Delft.
On the left you can see the four trademarks of the Delftse Pauw factory.
The Delftse Pauw factory has a webside.
If you like to know more about them, please click
here.
Their e-mail address is : info@delftsepauw.com
Incidentally,
the city of Delft is an very quaint and charming place to visit.
It is a University town and I am sure the students who have
the pleasure of studying there will have a wonderful time. Delft
has many old Dutch houses with beautiful facades. My father
studied architecture there many years ago, at the Delft
University of Technology.
