Delft Tiles at The Philadephia Museum of Art

Last year I visted the Philadelphia Museum of Art while attending NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts)

I like everything blue and white. I was very pleased to have found a small exhibtion on "How Dutch Wall Tiles Were Made in the Seventeenth and Eightteenth Centuries". Here is what I've learned:

Please click on thumbnails to enlargeFirst a frame was pressed over a lump of clay to cut it into squares, which were then flattened with a rolling pin.

Next the frame was removed, the clay squares were dried on planks, trimmed to more exact dimensions, and then biscuit fired in a kiln.

A spons - transfer pattern with the outline of a picutre pricked in pinholes - is placed on the bisque tile coated with tin white glaze.

The spons is then dusted with powdered charcoal. The charcoal penetrated the holes and left an outline of the desired design, which the tile decorator then redrew and filled with color glazes

Line art transferredPainted with glaze waiting to be firedFinished tile after glaze firing

Tool and brush for the tile decorationTile with children playing motifTile with ship motif

Gift of the Tichelaars Royal Earthenware and Tile Factory, Makkum, Neitherlands

Comments

[Heidi]

Wow! That's amazing. What's an interesting technique.