RERAMIC STUDIO 
Fragment of a decorative tiling by A. Le Comte, made for the restaurant " Porte de Cleves" in Amsterdam. 
DE PORCELEYNE FLES 
(The Porcelain Bottle). 
ARTISTIC MODERN DELFT FAIENCES. 
MONG the twenty-eight faience factories which 
flourished in Delft at the end of the seven- 
teenth century, the " Porcelain Bottle " occu- 
pied an important place. Founded by Ja- 
cobus Pijnacker, one of the most famous Dutch 
potters, in 1672, it passed into the hands of 
Johannes Knotter, '. in 1698, of Marcellus de Blugt in 
1 701, and then from pv hand to hand to Peter Van Doorne, 
(1759) T)/) to Johannes Harlees (1770), who first added the 
bottle J-Ls to his mark _M to Dirk Harlees (1795) p^J-U 
and finally in 1800 to 'Jffap Piccardt. _£l_ 
At that time the Delft faience industry was rapidly fall- 
ing off, as this hand decorated ware could not compete with 
the cheaper printed earthenware of England, which was be- 
ginning to flood the continent. Gradually the factories were 
closed and soon one only remained, the "Porcelain Bottle," 
as Piccardt had secured English workmen and begun the 
fabrication of a white earthenware similar to the English 
product, which fabrication was successfully continued by his 
daughters until 1876. 
In that year the establishment was bought by Mr. Joost 
Thooft, who undertook to revive the old Delft hand painting, 
while continuing the production of ordinary white earthen- 
ware, as had been done by Piccardt and his daughters. He 
eu under the gla 
