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Introduction

The story began in China houndreds of years ago. In the 1600’s the beautiful porcelain came to Europe, and the Netherlands, with the Dutch East India Company. It soon gained major popularity and Dutch potters started to imitate the technique. At this time porcelain was an unknown material in the Netherlands.

The potters aimed to copy the products with local clay, and they were successful. In the first halft of the 17th century there were several factories in the Netherlands, especially in Rotterdam (12) and Delft (30). Why the factories were so concentrated to these areas are unknown, but the reason could have been the ailing brewery industry, which left many vacant buildings.

The earliest tiles were used for flooring , often in churches, wealthy homes or institutional buildings. When some floor tiles turned out to be too delicate for heavy usage, the tiles mover to the walls. Single tiles and whole pictures of tiles were used in kitchens, around fireplaces and as baseboards where floors met walls. The tiles were also used as insulation and protection against water seeping into houses.

Religious pictures and floral motifs were common in this time. Tiles were exported to many countries.