The blue in Delft Blue is actually a trick of the kiln: painters work in dark grey and black tones made from cobalt oxide, and the signature bright blue only appears after the glaze is fired at around 1,000 degrees Celsius. That means a Delft painter has to picture the finished colour entirely in their head while working, with no way to see it until the piece emerges from the oven. This is Guide № 003 in The Love Netherlands Guide series.
In this guide
- What Delft Blue Actually Is
- How It Began: A Dutch Answer to Chinese Porcelain
- How a Piece Is Made
- Spotting Genuine Delftware
- Where to See It Today
- Myths Worth Retiring
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Guide № 003: Delft Blue Pottery — in a beautifully designed, printable booklet.
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The Love Netherlands Guide is a numbered series — one tightly focused subject at a time, each with its own downloadable collectible edition.
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