Delft

Today we took a tour of the Delft factory and we had some free time in the city of Delft

Today, one only thinks of Blue Delft, but years ago, they made quite an array of ceramics. Now they only work with blue.

They have two distinct sets of Blue Delft. Some are made entirely by hand while others have become more mechanized.

 

This vase goes through four distinct stages. First, the form is created and fired. Then a stencil is used to create the outline of the design. Then an artist paints the design following the stencil. At this stage the paint appears black. Only after a second firing and glazing does the pattern become blue.

This vase requires two full days of work to paint the pattern. The hand-made pieces are very labour intensive.

Pieces at different stages are left to dry.

In the town of Delft, we learned a little about Johannes Vermeer. He is considered one of the great Dutch masters, but his work was never recognized until hundreds of years after his death. He spent his entire life within a mile of Delft Centre. He had fourteen children and died in his forties.

One of our fellow travellers snapped this photo.

Every town has a big church.

Every town has beautiful buildings.