Delft tiles and earthenware: who hasn’t heard of it? The blue tiles with the funny pictures are that well known, wanted and adorable that they’re copied all over the world, even in Mexico and Japan.
Only the avid observant can note the difference, that’s why we explain the differences here.
The difference between Delft tiles – Dutchtiles – and the imitations begins with the sort of clay used in the process. This clay, called ‘mergel’ is a lime deposit, formed when during a great flooding Great Britain was cut-loose from the continent. In some places in northern France – around Doornik or Tournai – and deep into Holland lime quarries arose. Here the scarce and precious raw material for the Delft earthenware is found in layers and dug out. Geologists call these places the geological formations Calais I and II and Dunkerkque.
In Holland, the raw material is found in the Winterswijk quarry, where it is mixed with a neutral so called ‘black earth’ which is washed and worked to a soft and manageable mass that can be transformed into any given form. The clay for tiles is flattened with a roller on a surface and cut with a knife to the desired dimensions. It is here that the BZ-Makkum sign is stamped onto the clay.
After drying the tiles they are stacked in the oven and burned for the first time at about 700 degrees celcius. The tiles then become ‘biscuittiles’ and are yellowish-brown. The biscuit is frail, porous and very light in weight. These handmade tiles break easily on the edges, which can be seen with older examples that are depicted on this site under the ‘Antique Tiles’ section.
A real Delft tile can be scratched and carved on the backside very easily, contrary to the rock solid imitations.
The process that is followed by Dutchtiles was already described in 1794 by Gerrit Paape in his booklet ‘De Plateelbakker of Delftsch Aardewerkmaaker’ and is essential to the velvet-like produce of which the making is shown on the next pages.
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