Replicas of the original tulip vases were made in China and were imported by the Dutch East India Company.
The tulip vase is a form of Delftware faience known for its specific blue colour which is used to decorate the earthenware.
Delftware originated from the attempt to imitate Chinese porcelain; the Dutch potters tried to copy it, but they did not succeed.
Tulips were introduced in the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century; the bulbs came from Turkey and became a very expensive, fashionable flower.
Tulip vases can be round, square or oval and they are made in different sizes; the big ones have multiple floors and consist of loose stackable watertight elements and can be up to more than 1.5 metres high.