Why do so many listings just say 18th century?

Because that is how the trade has always described it. Two-thirds of titles in the archive contain "18th", and 228 listings say plainly "18th Century" with nothing more precise attached. Another 80 sit at 1750, which works the same way: dealer shorthand for the middle of the century rather than a measured date. Only 117 of 401 listings carry a clean year.

Is Delft always blue and white?

No. Colour is stated about as often as form in the titles, and polychrome turns up in more of them than blue does. Manganese, a purple-brown pigment, appears in a smaller run of titles, used for painting or as a powdered ground. Plain white pieces with no painting at all also sell, chargers among them.

What's the difference between Dutch and English delft?

Both are the same tin-glazed earthenware. The technique moved from the Netherlands to England in the 17th century. On Sellingantiques, English pieces are identified by town: Bristol appears in around nineteen titles, Liverpool in nine, with Lambeth and a single London attribution. Dutch factory and painter names surface in only a handful of titles.

How often does Delft come up for sale?

Around 47 pieces reach the market in a year, and 61 different dealers have listed one. That spread tells you something. Delft is a category most general ceramics dealers touch at some point, rather than the preserve of a few specialists.

Are Delft tiles sold singly or in sets?

Both. Loose single tiles appear regularly, and sets run to five, six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen and sixteen. Beyond that there are framed panels and tile pictures, several showing biblical scenes. Sets and panels sit above loose tiles in the range.

What are the unusual forms that turn up?

Alongside the chargers and jars, the archive carries flower bricks, bough pots, tulipieres, posset pots, punch bowls, wine coolers and a food warmer. One-offs include a barber's bowl, a cress dish, a pea keeper, a strawberry strainer, a cake stand, a miniature armchair, a lantern and a garden urn. Animals, cows, dogs, lions and horses with riders, appear once in a blue moon.

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Antique Delft

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Tin-glazed earthenware painted in cobalt blue or several colours over an opaque white glaze, made as an affordable domestic answer to imported Chinese porcelain and used for dishes, wall tiles and lidded shop jars.