Founded in 1894 in an as yet untraceable building on Amsterdam's Jan Steenstraat, Plateel- en Tegelbakkerij De Distel grew in six years to become an artistically relevant player on the earthenware market. Crux for the success were two aspects. Firstly, owner-manager Jac M. Lob managed to interest many art students in his company. They painted their own faience decors, first in De Pijp and later on Nieuwe Lijnbaansgracht, for models designed by artistic director Cornelis de Bruin. Read more about the tile painters Cornelis de Bruin, Willem Jansen and Willem van Norden
