Flora Gouda Vases and Vessels

Vintage blue ceramic fat lava style vase marked on base: Flora Holland. Hand Painted. Flora Holland - Gouda porcelain factory circa 1945 - 1980. Gouda is a generic term describing pottery produced in Gouda, The Netherlands and brightly colored Art Nouveau and Art Deco art pottery produced in Gouda and by other potteries that replicated the Gouda patterns throughout The Netherlands. Earthenware pottery started being produced in Gouda in the 17th century. Gouda became a pottery center because of nearby clay deposits. Clay also was imported from England. Initially, the potters manufactured Delft-type tin-glazed wares and clay pipes. When the production of pipes declined, the potters began producing art pottery. There were many factories spread over the Netherlands producing the "Gouda style" of pottery. Most originally started out making clay pipes. The geographical position of the Netherlands gave the clay pipe/pottery factories an advantage when trading. The great North Sea ports on its coast, the River Rhine for the rest of Europe and being across the water from the Thames estuary, easy access to London. Eventually from there across the UK to Liverpool and other UK ports sending goods to the USA and beyond. Factories such as PZH (Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, 1898 - 1964), Regina (1898 - 1979), Schoonhoven (1920 - present day), Ivora (origins back to 1630 - 1965), Goedewaagen (first factory 1610 then in 1779 Dirck Goedewaagen - 1982, 1983 - present Royal Goedewaagen...