Frisian blue
Fair and square
Since around 1600 millions of first class tiles, dishes and other ceramic pieces have been made from the high quality clay from the land surrounding Harlingen.
Harlingen is the cradle of the Frisian ceramics industry. The tin glaze technique has been used here for more than 400 years. The museum offers a good sampling of what has been produced in Harlingen during the past centuries: separate tiles, tile pictures, a colander with a harbour view, playful wall plates with mottos and so on. The jug in the form of a monkey was made in Makkum. There is an enormous variation in tiles as the patterns and styles changed over the centuries. For instance you can see tiles with landscapes, biblical scenes, children's games and with animals, but also tiles with beautifully coloured art-nouveau patterns.
Also on display
