Is Delft Bleu, typically Dutch?

The origins of the world-famous Delft pottery go back to the beginning of 1600. In the 17th century, the ships of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) bring alongside the spices also the blue-on-white decorated porcelain from China. This porcelain quickly became very popular with the well-to-do upper-class people then, such as the European royal houses. When the import came to a halt due to a civil war in China, the Dutch potteries took their chance and the imitation of this blue-on-white decorated porcelain started. This was the start of the Dutch production of Delftware, which is now known worldwide as a purely Dutch product.

The Heinen Delft Blue story

It starts at the end of the seventies when Jaap Heinen, who draws and paints in Japanese and Chinese Imari style, also paints in Delft blue style. In Putten, he starts a small studio in which he also glazes and bakes and where his son Jorrit comes to work. When the demand for hand-painted Delft blue declined in 2007, Jaap and Jorrit open their own factory in China, which produces pottery designed in Putten, aimed at the souvenir market. However, hand painting remains a passion and has been growing in popularity again since 2015. With the efforts of the best designers, pottery painters, and ceramic technicians and with love for the centuries-old Delft blue craft, Heinen Delft Blue brings tradition & innovation: Creating new traditions.