The difference between 18th century Delft plates and replica plates

The past few years, large numbers of replica Delft plates have been sold on eBay worldwide. Quite often, prices reached reflect the value of a genuine 18th century plate. Let’s have a look at the differences between both types of plates:

The first plate I’m showing is on auction in France. Click here to see the auction.
Looking at the images, one clearly sees that the plate is painted with a very firm brush. On 18th Century Delft plates, the decoration generally shows less firm outer lines. The white on the plate seems not to have been influenced by the presence of the blue decoration. The white areas on original 18th Century Delft plates almost always show a very light blue shine. Another thing… the back of the plate. The back of a plate almost never lies. An original Delft plate generally shows wear. Logic, of course, because such plates have mostly been used. Along the rim, they show baking points. These occurred during the baking process. Such plates were baked in vertical cylindrical holders, and they rested on (mostly 3) little “pens”, which induced small unglazed spots. Last but not least, the fake APK mark is one of the most copied marks on replica Delftware. Beware!

Now, let’s compare this plate to another one on ebay, coincidentally in my own ebay shop. Click here.

I’ll be updating this section regularly!

Information about the determination of antique tiles – click here!