Join us for a chance to meet Aileen Dawson, author of the newly-published English & Irish Delftware 1570-1840 and curator of post-Renaissance ceramics here at the British Museum.

Tin-glazed earthenware has been made in Europe since the 15th century. In Britain floor tiles and drug pots were made in Aldgate, London in the 16th century by immigrant potters from the Low Countries. In the early 17th century factories making dishes and other wares were set up close to the River Thames, before manufacture spread from to centres such as Bristol, Liverpool and Dublin. Known as ‘gally ware’ in the 17th century, this type of pottery has come to be known as ‘delftware’ from the Dutch town of Delft, which is renowned for its manufacture.

The British Museum collection of delftware is one of the finest in the world and this beautifully illustrated book features over 140 items from the collection, many of which have never been published before.

(more…)