Ewer with silver lid

In the 17th century Chinese porcelain was one of the pre-eminent luxury goods displayed on the tables of the upper classes. It was also used for decoration of the interior. Reacting to the commercial success of porcelain, potters in Delft developed a very fine type of earthenware in imitation of it. Both the forms and the decoration of this earthenware – or Delftware – were often directly inspired by Chinese examples.