De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles

De Porceleyne Fles ( full De Koninklijke Delftsche Aardewerkfabriek " De Porceleyne Fles Anno 1653 " NV, dt lit. The porcelain bottle, Eng. Known as Royal Delft ) is a Delftware factory with a museum. The factory was founded in 1653 is originally known for its known as Delftware, or Delft pottery ceramics, the painted tiles are also called Delft tiles. Since the production of porcelain in Europe was still unknown, Chinese products have been imitated with local clay original. Since 1919, the company is entitled to use the suffix " Koninklijke ( Royal dt ) " to operate. Today, the Manufacture in the production of decorative delft rood is a leader and has more than 140,000 visitors annually.

History

Chinese porcelain as a model

Since the 13th century porcelain came to Europe. The import was increased from 1516 through Macao and Nagasaki to Lisbon. In the 17th century, but the Netherlands were at the China Import leader, particularly by the Dutch East India Company. In Europe, attempts have been made ​​to produce Chinese porcelain itself. In Faenza, which belonged to the Republic of Venice, the Bianchi di Faenza is made of ceramic in the 16th century. It was coated with a tin glaze. Therefore, the earthenware were thicker walls than porcelain. Already in the second half of the 16th century, factories in Amsterdam, Haarlem and Middelburg had made ​​multi-colored pottery. This Craft was originally acquired by the Italian pottery. The first factory in Delft was founded in the late 16th century. Delft quickly developed into a center of European earthenware, as the local factories began at the beginning of the 17th century to imitate Chinese porcelain with the popular blue paint on a white background.

17th Century

Due to the civil war in China, the import into the Netherlands decreased despite continued high demand for porcelain. In Delft suitable for building manufactories were present by the decline of some breweries. In the 17th century about 32 Delftware factories were founded. To date, De Porceleyne Fles has alone preserved. 1653 Manufacture of David Anthonisz van der Piet was founded. Since that time, typical Dutch landscape and marine views were used in Delft blue, which include windmills and sailing ships in the china painting already. 1655 was the operation into the possession of Wouter van Eenhoorn and Quirijn van Cleynhoven. 1663 sold his share of van Eenhoorn Quirijn van Cleynhoven, who died in 1695. His widow, Engeltje Oprust, sold the factory in 1697 at the Leiden merchant Johannes Knotter. Master painters was John Verburgh. 1698 Johannes Knotter winkelhouder ( business owner). He first introduced the porcelain bottle to identify the brand. Since Verburgh moved to contention De Grieksche A, Knotter employed in the same year the master painter Dirk Baan and from 1700 Cornelis van der Houve.

18th century

1701 sold Knotter the manufactory to Marcelis de Vlught. This was how the previous owner neither a potter nor a painter. He set a Jan Sixtus van der Hoeck, who was considered one of the greatest porcelain painters of his time, and was famous for its ornate decorations. 1750 sold to Christoffel van de Vlught Doorne and his son Pieter. After his parents' death in 1762 the factory went all over to Pieter van Doorne. 1771 sold Pieters widow the manufactory to the master potter Jacobus Harlees, the porcelain bottle fitted in with the trademark after about seventy years of interruption. His son Dirck Harlees inherited the factory in 1782. Delftware The industry was in the 18th century in a crisis. There were several reasons. On the one hand was found in Germany in 1708 by Johann Friedrich Böttger and Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus the method for the production of porcelain, so now were these products to Delftware in competition. On the other hand, a white porcelain clay by William Cookworthy was discovered in 1746 in Cornwall, who was the Delft material is also far superior. Thus, the English manufactory Wedgwood became a powerful competitor. The Asian porcelain also became cheaper. Finally, it lacked the Delft manufacturers to market-driven innovation.

19th century

Dirck Harlees sold the company in 1804 to Henricus Arnoldus Piccardt, whose daughter Geertruida VMA Piccardt it was continued from 1849 to 1876. To withstand the competition she sat on printed mass-produced and gave the craft production with hand painting on a large extent. 1876 ​​acquired the engineer Joost Thooft operation with the aim to revive the ancient tradition of Delft goods again. 1884, the pharmacist Abel Labouchere became his partner. Together they developed a new material mixture, which was less fragile and the English china clay corresponded more closely. The Manufacture now experienced a revival. The hallmark of the porcelain bottle were added to the monogram JT and the geographical origin of Delft. Joost Thooft died at the age of 46 years. Thus Abel Labouchere became the sole owner. In the years 1878 to 1930 was Leo mustard ( 1860-1940 ), a pupil of the famous faience painter Cornelis Tulk, one of the most famous designers in the history of Porceleyne Fles. 1895 was the Department of Building Ceramics. The factory received important commissions for architectural ceramics, among others, the Peace Palace in The Hague. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, the company was awarded for a ceramic gallery with the Grand Prix.

20th century

In 1904, the company was transformed into a corporation. It changed its name then under the name " De Porceleyne Fles Anno 1653 formerly Joost Thooft and Labouchere ". The operation was moved in 1916 from the eastern edge of Delft in the Rotterdamseweg. 1919, the company received the privilege to call the factory as Royal Factory. The Department of Experimental ceramic was built in 1956. Decisive developed here as a Department Manager of the sculptors, ceramists and chemists Theo Dobbelmann ( born in 1906 in Nijmegen, a professor at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, died 1984) and his students new forms of expression and techniques. In cooperation with numerous artists not only buildings but also cruise ships with ceramic wall reliefs were equipped. The monumental wall art was ever less in demand in the 1970s, so that the experimental department had to be closed in 1977. For a collection of contemporary ceramics in 1988 reintroduced for limited and numbered in an edition each year a famous artist or designer to create an object. 2008, the joint-stock company the company Royal Leerdam Crystal buy up a traditional company, which specializes in the manufacture of decorative arts and artifacts of crystal.