House of Tiles
Antique Dutch Tiles
Blauwe Roos Antiek offers a large collection of authentic, hand-painted Dutch wall tiles from the late 16th up to the early 19th century.
The production of ceramic tiles in the Netherlands began around 1580, under the influence of immigrated Spanish, Italian and Flemish craftsmen. Wall tiles became quickly popular, as they adorned the kitchen walls and fireplaces of the houses of people that could afford to buy them.
In the late 16th century the Dutch were delighted about the hygienic and practical benefits of easy-to-clean wall tiles. But they equally appreciated their esthetical beauty and elegance, and their ability to serve as ‘conversation pieces’ during long and dull winter nights.
The trend reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries. Around 1700, there were several hundreds of tile and pottery factories and workshops in the Netherlands, notably in Friesland, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Gouda and Delft.
By the early 1800s very little was left of the once glorious Dutch tile production industry. Most workshops and factories had to close their doors, unable to compete with the efficiency and affordability of production from other countries. It took almost a century before a renewed interest in traditional tiles ignited a new period of growth for hand-painted Dutch tiles.
Blauwe Roos Antiek
A commonly asked question is why not all Dutch tiles are blue and white. The explanation goes as follows:
As the first generation of tile producers in the Netherlands originated from Southern Europe, their designs and colouring schemes were very much inspired by their local traditions, which in turn showed strong Islamic influences. The oldest Dutch tiles are therefore multi-coloured, with bright yellow, red, orange and green tones.
It was only after the 1620s that the typical white and blue colouring pallet, globally associated with the term ‘Delftware’, emerged as the style of choice for most Dutch customers, and hence producers. This was also the period that the more typically Dutch designs were introduced.
Popular decoration themes were flowers, animals, crafts, children's games, shepherds, warriors, ships, Dutch landscapes, and mythological and biblical scenes.
As from the early 1700s a further colouring scheme gained popularity: white with manganese (brown/purple). In the later part of this century a large proportion of Dutch tiles was produced in this colour.
Just a few examples
Our 17th/18th century Dutch tiles
Blauwe Roos Antiek has a large stock of antique tiles: far too many to put on display. Here you see some examples. If you are looking for specific themes, periods, or color schemes, please drop us a mail at: info@blauweroos-antiek.nl
We will gladly send you some pictures and price information of tiles that meet your criteria.
