Delftware Guide: Including How To Identify Delft Pottery Marks

Delftware is distinct – the famous blue and white pottery is very recognisable

Delftware is distinct – the famous blue and white pottery is very recognisable. In this guide we will explore the Delftware style in detail and outline how to identify Delft pottery marks too.

Following the arrival of ships carrying Chinese porcelain in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century, Dutch potters in the city of Delft soon started to create their own version.

Delftware remains a popular Dutch product design today, domestically and internationally. In fact, several British Airways airplane tailfins have had a special Delftblue Daybreak design in the past.

Yet the style is prone to imitations, with designers worldwide creating their own versions, attempting to benefit from the rich history and longstanding popularity of Delft blue pottery.

But for Delft pottery to count as genuine and antique, it has to meet certain key criteria. Let’s take a look at the core characteristics of real antique Delft pottery.

What is antique Delft pottery?

It could be genuine antique Delftware if it was made with a tin white glaze

It could be genuine antique Delftware if it was made with a tin white glaze. Whereas the Chinese pottery inspiring Delftware used a fine white clay – kaolin – the closest alternative the Dutch had was a white glaze with tin oxide.

The earliest tin-glazed pottery in the Netherlands was made in Antwerp by the Italian potter Guido da Savino during the 16th century. Antwerp was essentially part of the Netherlands until Belgium’s independence in 1830.

If you’re trying to identify some pottery, there are several other indicators that pottery could be genuine antique Delftware – if it was:

• Created in the city of Delft, Netherlands: This was the main location where potters created tin-glazed earthenware or faience, following the fall of Antwerp – also known as the Spanish Fury – in 1576.
• Painted blue and white (usually): Similar to the Chinese vases and other forms of pottery they were inspired by, Delft potters tended to use blue and white colours. But this was not always the case – this rare polychrome Delft vase (above) from c.1700 still has an Oriental style, for example, with red flowers and a green cat finial.
• Made after 1620 and before the 20th century: In the latter 1800s, potters tended to create Delftware using a different technique not involving the same tin-glazed approach.
• Given a specific mark (sometimes): Delft potters’ factories would sometimes put their mark on the base, for brand recognition. But with only a few marks officially identified, this alone is not a guaranteed way of identifying Delft pottery.

But assuming that there is an identifying mark visible underneath, which ones are signs of antique Delft pottery?

How to identify antique Delft pottery marks

In some cases, you can also study the decoration to identify Delft pottery

With thanks to Delfts Aardewerk, a great resource for all lovers of Delftware, here are many common initials marked on the pottery during the 1600s and 1700s. In alphabetical order, these are:

• Historic marks: 3 astonne, A, AIH, AIK (with a dot above the i), AJVDB, AK, AP, APK, APK M.v.W, APVMV, AR, BP, CB, CBS, CK, D, DB, DEX, D-PAUW, DV(D)B, DVDD, Fortuyn, F.V.FRYTOM, GK, HB, HVH, IB, IG, IHF, IMES, IP, ITD, IVDB, IVDUIJN, IVH, IVL, IW, LC, LPK, LPKAN, L.S, LV, LVD, LVE, MP, Piccard Delft, PK, PVD, R., RHIS, Roos, SVE, VB, VH3, WK, WVDB, YVDUIJN, Z:DEX, and symbols resembling an axe, a claw, a rose, a star, or three bells

The following marks are ‘unidentified’ so they too could perhaps be antiques:

• Unidentified: AR, CB, H, IVK, S, a cross with a point, and others

Also look out for flowing lines in the designs

There are several other signs of genuine antique Delftware too – for example, the glaze would sometimes flake off, leaving behind a yellow colour. The clay became yellow after the potters fired it but before they dipped it into the white tin glaze.

Small scars are sometimes visible because potters would stack Delftware in kiln saggars, with triangular pegs, to protect them from smoke and flames during firing.

Also look out for flowing lines in the designs – potters always painted Delftware by hand until printing techniques took off after about 1750.

In some cases, you can also study the decoration to identify Delft pottery. For example, between approximately 1730 and 1760, many pieces of Delft pottery had a Rococo design style.

Here at Westland London we have several stunning Delft pieces in our collection:

Our antique Delftware

These include not only some beautiful blue and white vases, but also a very rare Delftware fireplace insert.

Here are just a few examples of Delft pottery we currently have in stock:

• Large pair of blue and white Delft vases: These large, hand-painted, baluster-shaped vases depict Chinese style scenes. They are reminiscent of the British Willow pattern that emerged in the 18th century – with bridges, pagodas, willow trees, and birds visible within the vignettes.
• 18th century Delft vases with lion-mounted covers: These feature pastoral scenes and scrolling foliate decoration, with a simpler floral design on the back. On top, there are lion-mounted covers, similar to Chinese pottery foo dogs.
• Large Delft table lamp: This beautiful 19th century lamp features the central scene of a landscape dotted with windmills (above).

Our rare Van Hurst tiled fireplace insert (above) depicts river and coastal scenes with pigment decorations from metal oxides.

In fact, Delft tiles make for a truly stunning fireplace interior – for example, we recommend it for this Louis XIV Baroque stone fireplace.

We also have this amazing Aesthetic Movement walnut fire surround that includes two tiles with 17th century Delft painters! These are Wouter Crabeth and Leonard Bramer, with the latter also a pupil of Rembrandt.

We hope you found this guide to Delft pottery useful and informative. For other helpful articles, take a look through the rest of our blog.

For example, you may be interested to read more about Toile de Jouy, another style that often features a white background with blue patterns.

Not only do we have several Delft pottery pieces in our collection, but we specialise in antique fireplaces and many other types of architectural antiques. Take a look at our latest stock and for any queries, please contact us.