Blog 41 – Delft blue and white Pottery originates in Delft, Netherlands

And, it’s only 40 miles from Amsterdam

Netherlands, and the whole of the EU, are in a phased reopening after the extreme lockdowns of the spring and early summer. Wearing facemasks, we can begin to travel for non-essential reasons. We started small.

We both appreciate pottery. Many fun nights were spent with Jay WSC and Dr. Frank in Blaise DePaolo’s pottery courses at Morgan State University. https://www.morgan.edu/college_of_liberal_arts/departments/fine_and_performing_arts/visual_arts/faculty_and_staff/blaise_depaolo.html We know how to roll, cut, throw, scrafitto, and paint at various levels of accomplishment. We know how to cry when things do not come out of the kiln as expected. We know how to celebrate as items are sold for fundraising purposes. We do not though, ‘collect’; especially now as even more of our belongings are ending up in storage boxes. But a few souvenirs from our time in Europe are in order. Our first month here we ordered a set of Delft Blue dishes. A practical move, a souvenir we can use now and later. Yet we remained interested in the process and the history of this unique style of creating decorative arts.

So off we went for our first day trip in months. We scheduled factory tours at the two remaining in the region. We began with the Royal Delft factory (and showroom). The buildings are original, as are the examples of pottery through the centuries in the display cases. This is truly the big time in pottery and yet during the tour we could have easily reached out to touch, and possibly destroy, a multitude of items. https://www.royaldelft.com/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2q_BR7QF-FozVuSAp3hd_A

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After a lovely lunch at an outside café, we followed the canal path to Heinan Delfts Blauw https://dedelftsblauwfabriek.nl/  Technically, this factory is not in Delft, it is in Rijswijk right next door. A much smaller operation, but still amazing in the handcrafted work produced.

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While we resisted shopping at the Royal Delft, our need for souvenirs ran right into a sale at Delfts Blauw. Always need a new pig. And, it came with free shipping.

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Taking advantage of the coffee and cookies available at the entry desk of Delfts Blue, we were recharged and ready to make our way back to the center of town with just enough time to visit the Vermeer Museum. https://www.vermeerdelft.nl/nl/  This is a very small museum, with none of his original artwork; yet it presents an interesting and fairly detailed look at the times, the man, and the art. He is a great example of ‘hometown boy does well’, and they are justly proud. We both felt like we learned so much; much more than watching The Girl With The Pearl Earring movie. The next day, back in Amsterdam, we went to the Rijksmuseum (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/ ) where a few of the Vermeer originals are displayed; his work in depicting light was groundbreaking at the time and amazing to see still.

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Following our pattern of the day, a little learning, a little eating; it was time to eat again after Vermeer. The center square of Delft is a very large open area bookended by a church and a city hall and framed by two sides of shops and restaurants. We found a table in the sunny outdoors and reviewed our day over some wine and beer.

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We know we are doubly lucky; not only to be in Europe, but to also be in a region where we can begin again to travel around for pleasure; it was just a day trip, but it meant a lot to us and we are happy to share some of this experience with you.