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Ella Schaap Honored Recipient of the Tile Heritage Award
Born (1913) and reared in the Netherlands, Ella Schaap (née Sanders) came to the U.S. to attend college in the early 1930s. Diverted from her educational goals, she married Dolf Schaap in 1934 and returned to Europe eventually giving birth to their three daughters. In the 1940s the couple arrived back in the States settling in Philadelphia where it wasn’t long before Ella began volunteering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the late 1970s...
What is the Tile Heritage Award?
The Tile Heritage Award for 2020, designed and fabricated by Irene de Watteville, Tile Heritage Board Member Emeritus, in honor of Ella Schaap, curator, Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 1993 the board of directors of the Tile Heritage Foundation wished to acknowledge those individuals who embodied the Tile Heritage mission in some exemplary way: promoting an awareness and appreciation of ceramic surfaces in the United States. Since its inception, fifteen individuals have received the Tile...
Ella Schaap: the Backstory with Tile Heritage
Our host, Mary Anne Justice, curator (pictured), who worked with Ella Schaap for 40 years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She is responsible for the current display of Dutch tiles featured here in this newsletter. A special thanks to Sally Malenka, Senior Objects Conservator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as to her colleague, Mary Anne Justice, curator, who worked together with Ella Schaap on the museum’s Dutch tile collections for 40...
Dutch Tiles — Gallery 371, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Marine, late 1600s by Cornelis Pietersz Boumeester for Delftsevaart tile factory. Purchased with funds contributed by Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. 2018-23-1 Dutch naval power rose rapidly in the late 1500s and the Netherlands dominated global commerce during the 1600s. In the third-floor galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art., curator May Anne Justice shared with us her beautiful installation of Dutch tiles organized by themes. I have reproduced the gallery labels and images of the...
![Water and Country Scenes, 1850-1900.
Gift of Anthony N. B. Garvan
[cat. # 174, p. 137]](https://tileheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/waterscapes2.jpg "waterscapes2")
Dutch Tiles — Landscapes and Waterscapes 1700-1900
Water and Country Scenes, 1850-1900. Gift of Anthony N. B. Garvan [cat. # 174, p. 137] “Throughout the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600s the native countryside was celebrated in paintings, prints and literature. Tiles featuring land and water vignettes first appeared at the beginning of the 1600s and continued to be manufactured, with little design variation until about 1900.” Water Scenes, 1690-1750.Gift of Edward W. Bok; gift of S. Krider...
Dutch Tiles — Sea Creatures
Dolphin and Whale 1600-1625. Rotterdam. Gift of Anthony N. B. Garvan The arrival of these unusual creatures on the Dutch North Sea coast was interpreted as a sign from the heavens. [cat. # 185, p. 147] “Fantastic sea monsters, mythological creatures, and exotic fish all appear on Dutch tiles, inspired by the seafaring culture of the region. Dutch naval power rose rapidly in the late 1500s and the Netherlands dominated global commerce during the 1600s.”...
Dutch Tiles — Ships
Men-of-War, Frigates, Flutes, and Herring Buss 1650-1700. Harlingen Gift of Mrs. Francis P. Garvan; gift of Antony N. B. Garvan From the top row: man-of-war on a calm sea; man-of-war shooting a cannon from starboard; three-masted frigate displaying her starboard bow; herring buss. Second row: three-masted flute with furled topsails; three-masted frigate; merchant man running before the wind; three-masted frigate. Third row: flute shooting cannons from both sides; ship shooting; flute heeling in a high...
Dutch Tiles — Soldiers and Daily Life
Cavalry 1640-1680. Gift of Anthony N. B. Garvan Light cavalry soldiers and dragoons on rearing horses charge across these tiles. With one exception, they all wear yellow, red, brown or orange sashes around their waists. [cat. # 162, pp. 130-131] “Images of soldiers and militiamen gained favor as a tile decoration during the Dutch fight against Spanish rule from 1568 until the Treaty of Munster in 1648. After gaining independence, the new Dutch republic drastically...
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