Delftware is the iconic ceramic from the Dutch city of Delft: blue and white painted tiles, dishes and flower pots. Now, Genevieve Wheeler Brown, an expert in the decorative arts, has traced the history of these dazzling, cobalt glazed pieces, as they fueled the Dutch Republic economy in the early 1600s and then enjoyed waves of popularity, including the Delft craze in the late 1800s in America, when women would go on “China hunts,” knocking on doors in search of old delft.
Her book is “Beyond Blue and White, the Hidden History of Delftware and the Women Behind The Iconic Ceramic.”
By Genevieve Wheeler Brown
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Pegasus Books. All rights reserved.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2025 WBUR