"
"What nation was that?" demanded Theo.
"The Dutch."
"The Dutch!"
"Yes. You see at this time the Dutch were great traders, and it was
while the nation was at the height of its commercial glory that the
Dutch began bringing from China shipments of Chinese porcelain.
Portuguese traders had also brought some of it into Europe, so in
these two ways the beautiful blue and white ware we know so well was
introduced to the Continent.
"The Portuguese were content to import it; they never attempted to
copy either the pottery or the porcelain. But the Dutch were more
ambitious. As early as 1300 they began experimenting with glazed
pottery. To the knowledge of glaze which they got from Italy they
added all they could find out about the making of Chinese wares. They
learned that the blue color the Chinese got came from oxide of cobalt,
which would melt and mingle with the glaze when exposed to a high
temperature; they also learned a little--a very little, of the
clay. As a result they began to turn out a blue and white pottery
known as Delft, which they soon made in great quantities and sold to
European nations at a much lower price than imported Chinese potteries
and porcelains could be bought.
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