craft
Delft Blue
Delft Blue is Dutch porcelain pretending to be Chinese porcelain — and it changed European taste forever.
Born when Chinese porcelain stopped arriving in the 1640s, Delft Blue is tin-glazed earthenware that imitated the cobalt-and-white look the Dutch were addicted to.
In the early 17th century the Dutch VOC imported huge volumes of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. When the Ming–Qing transition (1644) halted exports, Delft potters stepped in, copying the Chinese style with tin-glazed earthenware and cobalt oxide paint. By 1670 over 30 factories operated in Delft. Quality declined when porcelain imports resumed in the 18th century; by 1850 only De Porceleyne Fles remained. Today it's back in fashion — the Dutch royal family still gives Delftware as state gifts.