18th c. Delft Tile - I

In a country built on the sea, even the kitchen walls had ships on them, painted one tile at a time in Dutch blue. This one dates to the 18th century, a single sailing boat at anchor with a small flower worked into each corner. Found in Amiens, it is a rare survivor of the Dutch potteries that turned out tiles by the thousand, each one painted freehand so no two ships ever sailed quite the same. Sylvie stands it on a kitchen shelf against the backsplash, or hangs it on a wall on its own, a small blue window onto the water.