Is Delft always Dutch?

No. The word covers tin-glazed earthenware from the Netherlands and from the English potteries, and listings use it for both without distinction. Around a sixth of titles name England, concentrated in four towns: Bristol, Lambeth, Liverpool and London. Dutch is named in 23 titles. The rest say nothing about origin at all.

What period do most of these come from?

The 18th century, heavily. Of 188 listings, 124 carry "18th" in the title, and 44 are narrowed to the 1750s. Earlier pieces are scarce: three are 17th century, with the earliest named as circa 1690 and a small Bristol plate put at 1680-90. Eight fall after 1800.

How accurate are the dates given?

They are usually a bracket rather than a year. Only 58 of the 188 listings carry a clean year, and "18th Century" and "1750" read as defaults. Title and date field sometimes disagree. One plate titled 18th century is dated 19th, and another titled 18th century carries "Circa 1820".

What is a Delft charger?

A large flat dish, made for display rather than for eating from. The word appears in 50 titles, about a quarter of the category. The biggest stated sizes are a Bristol charger at 37cm and a Dutch one described as 14 inches. Chargers make up a growing share of current stock.

Are they sold as singles or in sets?

Both. Singles are offered about as often as groups, and they sit at the bottom of the range. Groups run from pairs through sets of three, four and six, with one lot of fourteen plates. Larger groups sit higher, and that lot of fourteen is near the top.

Do Delft plates carry maker's marks?

Nothing in this archive supports marks as a general practice. One title mentions a piece marked PK, and no other listing names a mark. Where a source is given, it is a town rather than a pottery: Bristol nine times, with Lambeth, Liverpool and London once or twice each.

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Antique Delft Plates

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Tin-glazed earthenware plates, dishes and chargers painted in cobalt blue or in colours, made in the Netherlands and at the English delftware potteries as painted tableware and display ware in imitation of Chinese porcelain.