The collection of Asian ceramics at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag is part of the museum’s encyclopaedic overview of a number pivotal moments in the history of ceramics. This includes its important collection of Delftware, which is one of the largest and finest in world.

Delft Blue originated as an imitation of the first blue-and-white export porcelain from China. The relationship between Chinese porcelain and Delftware is therefore emphasised within the collection and exhibition policy. In the 1920s, the Kunstmuseum was one of the first museums in Netherlands to purchase funerary ceramics, which had been discovered in large quantities in China. Over the years this core has been strengthened with targeted acquisitions. A third spearhead constitutes the ceramics from the Islamic cultural area, which have also been collected since the 1920s.

Ceramics from the Middle East and Asia are not collected in isolation. By including objects such as VOC silver, furniture from Batavia, Japanese lacquerware and Indonesian handicrafts, the Kunstmuseum strives to portray and convey the living culture of our colonial past.

Also visit the Kunstmuseum Den Haag website.