Today's Word: DELFT

Delft (Delftware) is the blue and white pottery made in and around Delft, as well as the tin-glazed pottery made throughout the Netherlands, from the early 16th to the 18th century. While the Dutch had long been admirers of imported Chinese blue and white porcelain, they only began producing Chinese patterns in the early 17th century, when imports to Europe were suspended due to the death of Chinese Emperor Wanli. From the mid-17th century, Dutch potters began signing their work with monograms and factory marks.