A Delft ceramic tile in tin glaze, with representation of a tulip in green and yellow, on a piece of ground, within a serrated square, with a corner motif of a lily. On the back, a glued modern wood plaque for hanging.
Netherlands: Circa 1570-1610
Complete; crack to one corner.
Thickness of original tile 20 mms.
Size 13 x 13 cms (5.1 ins).
The tile is quite thick, providing an indication of an earlier, and therefore rarer, date, at a time of conflict with the Spanish, which resulted in independence. It is a by-product of 'Tulip Mania', a time in Dutch history where speculation on the hottest commodity of the day, tulips, created what some say was the world's first economic bubble.
In the early-16th century, Antwerp, now in modern Belgium, was the most cultured city in Europe, with the best craftsmen. After the Spanish invasion in 1584 they fled north to what is now the Netherlands. Italian majolica-makers brought with them their tradition of making highly decorated, colourful clay floor tiles with an opaque glaze.