The collection of Asian ceramics in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

The collection of Chinese and Japanese ceramics in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag forms part of the encyclopaedic overview the museum offers of several important developments in the history of ceramics. This includes a significant collection of Delft earthenware, one of the largest and most beautiful collections of its type in the world.
 
Two camels, China, cold-painted earthenware
Tang dynasty (618-907)
H. 43 and 44 cm
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
inv. no. OC (VO) 3-1996

Delft blue originated as an imitation of the first Chinese blue-and-white export porcelain. The relationship between Chinese porcelain and Delft earthenware has thus been influential in developing the museums collecting and exhibition policies. The Gemeentemuseum was one of the first Dutch museums to buy funerary ceramics when large quantities of these objects were discovered in China during the 1920s. This core has been enhanced in recent years by targeted acquisitions. The collection of ceramics from Islamic regions, acquired during the 1920s, is a third highlight. This collection unique in the Netherlands amounts to about 275 objects. Ceramics from the Middle- and Far East are not collected in isolation. With its sub-collections of Dutch East India Company (VOC) silverware, furniture from Batavia, Japanese lacquerware and Indonesian arts and crafts the Gemeentemuseum strives to represent the everyday culture of Dutch colonial life.