The weather is finally warming up, there are lambs in the fields and daffodils galore - it’s a sure sign that Spring is finally here! Perhaps it’s made you want to have a Spring Clean, or maybe you’ve already started? It feels great to get organised and get rid of those things that you no longer want or use but always be careful what you throw out.
Sometimes the most unassuming objects can be valuable and it can take a trained eye to spot them. I’m often asked to help people sort through their antiques - from picking through cupboards of glassware to find that one Georgian glass, to sifting through boxes of costume jewellery to find that one precious piece; more often than not there’s something worth saving.
I recently came across this pair of Delft plates mixed in with a pile of fairly average blue and white china. They date from the late 18th Century and were made in the Netherlands. Delftware production began in the early 17th century as Dutch potters sought to replicate the fine Chinese porcelain that was being imported by the Dutch East India Company.
Delft plates are made from earthenware coated with a distinctive white tin glaze, which gives them a smooth, porcelain-like appearance and are traditionally painted in blues.
Delft pieces often have some form of signature or mark but it’s not always a straightforward ‘Delft’ stamp. These plates have the 'hatchet' makers mark for De Porceleyne Bijl (The Porcelain Axe).
There is a good collectors market for early pieces of Delft, especially pieces in good condition and those with rare or unusual patterns can command a good price.
Lydia Wood - In A Nutshell Antiques