The Royal Delft porcelain factory is situated in the city of Delft, in The Netherlands. In Dutch it is known as Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles. Translated, this means “Royal Porcelain Jar”. The business was started in 1653 by David Anthonisz van der Pieth. Still in business centuries later, The Royal Delft porcelain factory celebrated their 350th anniversary in 2003.
Everyone has seen the famous Dutch blue and white trademark porcelain. Not every blue and white Dutch porcelain is from the only officially royal sanctioned factory in Delft. Many pieces may have trademarks proclaiming to be “royal”, but the word is not trademarked.
Many factories producing blue and white Delftware use the word on their porcelain. In fact the Royal Delft porcelain factory doesn’t even use the word “royal” in its trademark branding of the porcelain that it produces in the factory.
Their porcelain is still entirely handmade. The quality controls in The Royal Delft porcelain factory are much more strict than other similar places. The master artists have to go through rigorous training before they are allowed to become official painters for Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles.
In addition, not every Royal Delft piece is done in blue and white. They carry a similar line done in multi-coloured designs.
The original porcelain artists in Delft, and in other Dutch cities, learned their trade from the Italians in the 16th century. The Chinese blue and white porcelain, imported to The Netherlands in the 17th century, became a favourite with the Dutch. Soon Dutch potters were beginning to imitate the techniques. In the beginning of the 17th century, the craftsmen perfected the use of the porcelain technique.
Throughout the history of the Royal Delft porcelain factory, it has passed from one owner to another. It received the official royal sanction in 1919.
The Royal Delft porcelain factory offers tours of the facilities. Visitors are able to watch master painters working on pieces, at small work tables, in the display area of the factory. You can even converse with them while they work and ask them questions. It doesn’t seem to deter them from their creations.
There is a beautiful and very large Delft mural on display in The Royal Delft Factory. It is an amazing piece of art and craftsmanship.
You also get to go into a room of the factory itself, and see displays of the different stages of firing the Delft pieces. You may see some of the workers in the factory too.
The Royal Delft porcelain factory has a nice gift shop filled with every imaginable item related to the porcelain and the surrounding area. The gifts range from very pricey porcelain pieces, down to simple souvenirs for those with less means or inclination to buy.
There is also a small snack bar. Weather permitting, you can take your food outside to the inner courtyard to eat. It is a lovely little garden area in the middle of the factory, art class room and display area.
One special feature at The Royal Delft porcelain factory, are the painting classes available throughout the year. There is a fee for each student. One, or multiple students, are given the drawing and painting supplies needed to create their very own Delft porcelain piece. Depending on the time of year, the piece available to paint may differ. At Christmas they offer a bell. At other times they offer a tile or plate to paint.
The class is lead by a skilled artist, very familiar with the techniques. The class is fun and really gives the students a feel for, and admiration of, the skills required to create the Delft porcelain so consistently, piece after piece. After you complete your piece, you can either return to pick it up, or for an additional fee, have it shipped to your home.
The Royal Delft factory is located on Rotterdamseweg 12 in Delft. It is an easy walk from the tram and train stations, through some charming city streets and along the edge of a canal. It is also easy to get to by car.
The factory is closed to the public from Christmas until the 2nd of January, and on Sundays from the 1st of November until The 18th of March. The rest of the year, they are open daily from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m.
