Chinese Porcelain
The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics owns the largest and most varied collection of Chinese porcelain in the Netherlands. The collection includes Ming, Kraak, Zhangzhou and Chinese trade ceramics.
Art-nouveau
The Princessehof has a wonderful collection of Dutch Art Nouveau and Art Deco ceramics made between 1880 and 1930. You will be amazed that such innovative and high-quality pottery was produced in the Netherlands from the end of the nineteenth century. A visit to the Museum is always a great pleasure because there is so much to see and compare.
Art
The Princessehof has a wide range of ceramic art by national and international artists such as Lucebert, Picasso and Armando. More and more visual artists are working with ceramics. New acquisitions are given a prominent place and the collection is changed several times a year.
Design
Ceramics have gained a unique place in the world of contemporary design. Increasing numbers of national and international designers and architects work with ceramics. They are inspired by the versatility and durability of ceramic glazes, which lend themselves to a huge diversity of experiments. Some names: Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders, Piet Hein Eek and Wieki Somers.
Frisian pottery
The museum has an extensive collection of Frisian ornamental pottery, tableware and tiles dating from the 17th to the 20th century.The most beautiful and special pieces in this collection are displayed in the ‘Europe’ presentation.
The Stichting Fries Aardewerk (Frisian Pottery Foundation) was founded in 1999 to promote the study of Frisian pottery objects and their history. Between 2000 and 2005 seven volumes and a dissertation were published on this topic. The series is the result of many years of research and was written by a variety of experts. The content of this series dovetails with the Museum’s extensive collection of Frisian pottery. Many objects from the collection are illustrated in this standard work. Over 70 Frisian pottery objects are featured in the Museum’s permanent exhibition.