Tulip vase

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.

Delftware tulip vase, 18th century. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen , Rotterdam
Delft Flower pyramid
A 12-metre tall replica of the tulip vase pyramid in Delft