The 'spijkertegel', Dutch for 'nail tile', is one of the most sought after Delft tiles. Beautifully polychrome birds perch on a stark nail against a white plaster wall. The subject is so simple yet the plumage's treatment, colours, detail is gorgeous. There are thought to be only 250 spijkertegels in the world, and virtually all of them derive from one 17th century workshop in Gouda, namely, The Swan. In honour of these tiles, we now present many variations of this exquisite design.
