Every once in a while I get to transit through The Netherlands and spend time with Our Girl In Amsterdam. Since I’ve been lucky enough to visit multiple times over the past few years I no longer feel the need to hit all of the tourist spots in Amsterdam and now enjoy discovering new places off the beaten path. This time around we visited the lovely town of Delft, known the world over for its iconic blue and white hand-painted pottery.
OGIA was reticent, nay ambivalent at first but she eventually submitted to the inevitable experience of touring a pottery factory - all in aid of indulging my wanderlust and thirst for knowledge. It was certainly all about me on this day.
That being said, OGIA deserves a gold star for her patience and unfailing sense of humour.
The sign on the door said to report to Reception so being the good little soldiers we are, we reported to Reception. The lovely Dutch won there proceeded to escort us upstairs and give us the history of the factory and showed us how the pottery is produced from slip to bisque to finished product.
First the slip is poured into custom-made moulds and allowed to dry. The porous nature of the plaster moulds allows for the slip to solidify from the outside in, thus making it possible to create hollow vessels. Once the slip has dried for about 4 hours (give or take, depending on the size and shape of the piece), the remaining liquid is poured out and the piece is unmoulded and shaved of any imperfections. The raw piece is air dried for a time and then slowly kiln-fired at over 1000 degrees to the bisque stage (a dried piece of clay ready to be glazed) over the course of 24 hours. Once the bisque is cooled and ready for decorating, the artisans work their magic and hand paint each piece following age-old traditional methods. As the bisque is still porous, any liquid that is applied to the surface will make an indelible mark so the artisan must first stencil their pattern with a chalky dust and then afterwards apply the glaze. This is applied with ultra fine paintbrushes and a steady hand.
Fun Fact: The iconic Delft Blue glaze actually goes on black but when dipped in a clear coat and fired, the intense heat in the kiln transforms the black glaze into a brilliant blue hue traditionally associated with the city of Delft.
All of the pottery pieces sold from the factory are produced on site and are decorated by a group of 15 artisans. Some work out of the factory and some work out of their homes, the latter preferring the quiet and solitude of their own studios in order to concentrate. There are apparently many visitors to the factory touring the production floor throughout the week, making the factory a very challenging environment in which to concentrate.
Each artisan has his or her own style which shows in each piece they produce. Some are heavy-handed with the glaze, producing deep blue tones and others favour a lighter blue with finer lines and some yet prefer to work in a rainbow of colours. Someone well-versed in the individual artisans’ styles can tell them apart in an instant.
After the warm welcome and hospitality shown to us by the receptionist, I couldn’t help but buy a piece of pottery before leaving. I had no idea how dear each piece would be but after seeing just how much work goes into each one, I’m not surprised. Needless to say I only purchased a small piece to bring home with me. Of course, it had a tulip painted on it.
The factory sits along a canal (as does much of the Netherlands) and it being a Sunday, many people were enjoying a relaxing day, taking part in leisure activities that can only happen during the weekend. A few boats filled with rowers whooshed by, their oars moving in unison as the boats silently and seemingly effortlessly glided across the water’s surface. It was fascinating to watch how the rowers worked in concert, expertly propelling the slim watercraft forward as a member of the team called out instructions and encouragement. I am told that there is a very large and famous Technical University in Delft and I would think that these rowers were students at the TU.
All of the day’s excitement sure worked up an appetite and off we went in search of the Old Town and some form of sustenance. We found ourselves along a canal in Old Town Delft at a very funky burger joint that puts The Works to shame. (I’m sorry, The Works, you don’t have a pumpkin burger or a spinach burger, do you?!) There is only one word for the meal. Lekker*!
* “yummy” in Dutch
After a full day of driving, learning and eating, it was time to head home to Amsterdam and The Jordaan with full bellies and full brains.
No comments:
Post a Comment