Washington Winter Show 2026

62 by Genevieve Wheeler Brown T he pottery hums with activity. Braying horses strain their harnesses as they pull the gears of the mill, mixing heavy quantities of clay. Potters gently shape bowls while rhythmically kicking pottery wheels and the crackling fire spits and roars as plates and bowls continue their firing in the kiln. Painters sit side by side at long tables quickly applying cobalt decorations as assistants with baskets bring a constant stream of even more plates and chargers. It is 1769 in Delft, the heart of Holland’s flourishing worldwide trade of Dutch Delftware—the eponymous blue-and- white tin-glazed ceramic that has entranced collectors since the 1600s. In the center of this pottery is its owner, a woman. Wearing a long wool petticoat, apron, and linen hood, she orchestrates the movements of her staff as they quietly attend to their numerous tasks, from dipping pieces in vats of thick white glaze to gently placing prepared plates and bowls on shelves for drying. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices two young boys in her workshop lingering and chatting when they should be shuttling bunches of small kindling to the awaiting kiln. She stops briefly to admire her newly finished works, recently BEYOND BLUE &WHITE THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF DELFTWARE AND THE WOMAN BEHIND THE ICONIC CERAMIC