Tile Brain Foundation
De Porceleyne Fles in Delft
Centuries-old craftsmanship lives on in De Porceleyne Fles. The screen printing technique, with its origins in eighteenth-century England, is still an essential part of the decorating process. Here, heritage, precision and craft come together in every ceramic object.
Even when the screen printing technique is used, the hand of the Royal Delft master painter is still part of the design. The first design is put on paper with a brush, using the same black paint. Once a final design has been made, it is sent to the printer. The printer scans it digitally and then turns it into a screen print.
This is divided into four separate layers for the four different shades of blue. It is then printed onto plastic films, and the films are exposed onto a screen printing frame. In this way the design transfers from the film to the frame. This is done four times for the different shades of blue, after which a carrier layer is added on top. That carrier holds the entire design together.
The transfer is then applied to the glazed product, after which it fuses with the glaze layer during the second firing.
