The secret of the Goedewaagen Ceramic Museum

Since its foundation in 1989, the Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen has conducted scientific research into decorated Dutch pottery from after 1873. In addition to a treasure trove of decorative pottery, utensils, tiles and tile panels from Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the museum regularly presents groundbreaking exhibitions about its research.

With his thesaurus, the museum is building the largest database in the world of digital source material about Dutch pottery. For the benefit of collectors all over the world, permanent determinations are made and where possible counterfeits are identified and placed on an international site. The production of models and decors of Dutch companies of yesteryear is reconstructed with various factory working groups. Knowledge about clay, glaze and firing recipes is also systematically collected.

For education, a coherent curriculum on the use of pottery in the everyday lifestyle culture of the 20th century is provided. Guided tours, workshops and symposia draw attention to the National Heritage that represents museum research.

Entree van de Stichting Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen en de aardewerkfabriek Royal Goedewaagen-Gouda BV.
Entree van de Stichting Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen en de aardewerkfabriek Royal Goedewaagen-Gouda BV.
Entree van de Stichting Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen en de aardewerkfabriek Royal Goedewaagen-Gouda BV.
Zijaangezicht op museum en fabriek.

In 2012 – 400 years of Gouda and 50 years of Drenthe

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In 2012, the Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen extensively discussed the foundation on 14 May 1612 of the Gouda pottery that marks the beginning of the history of the Gouda Greenery with the exhibition Gouds Groen, a symposium on the early 20th century free pottery art and a Raku workshop. Goedewaagen group.

Goedewaagen’s stand met aardewerk en pijpen op Nationale keramiektentoonstelling in Societeit van Gouda, 1911.
Goedewaagen’s stand met aardewerk en pijpen op Nationale keramiektentoonstelling in Societeit van Gouda, 1911.

This year our museum is celebrating that Goedewaagen purchased a factory on the Glaslaan in Nieuw Buinen in 1963, from 8 October 1963 to continue the already successful service line in Gouda on a much larger, industrial scale. The production of the KLM houses, taken over from the bankrupt Gouda Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, was also quickly transferred to Drenthe.

The anniversary celebrations of 50 years of Goedewaagen in Drenthe have so far been enhanced by the exhibitions Bettie’s Favorites about decorations and designs for Goedewaagen from 1922 from the large collection of Mrs. Bettie Meines from Niebert and subsequently by the equally unique project from the Ellen Westenberg collection. about Use and decorative pottery by Zweitse Landsheer for Goedewaagen from the period 1952 and 1960.

As the third and final exhibition in this anniversary series, the Keramisch Museum Goedewaagen presents a one-off overview of Goedewaagen plateel based on designs by the Kunstatelier Goedewaagen-Distel from 1923-1940. For this exhibition Ellen Westenberg was again given a large loan.

Pottenbakker en keramisch ontwerper Zweitse Landsheer, ca 1955, bij de vormgeving van zijn internationaal geprezen minimalistische aardewerk voor Goedewaagen.
Pottenbakker en keramisch ontwerper Zweitse Landsheer, ca 1955, bij de vormgeving van zijn internationaal geprezen minimalistische aardewerk voor Goedewaagen.
Ber van Reden, stichter van het door Goedewaagen aangekochte Urnencentrum Nederland, bij het draaien van een acht kilo zware urn. Foto: Marijke Koster.
Ber van Reden, stichter van het door Goedewaagen aangekochte Urnencentrum Nederland, bij het draaien van een acht kilo zware urn. Foto: Marijke Koster.

Incidentally, it was the pottery factory Royal Goedewaagen that provided the biggest ceramic surprise in this anniversary year. The factory, which had been orientating itself for a long time on the possibility of producing urns, bought the pottery of the Urnencentrum Nederland in Schoonhoven in May, market leader for the production of the most diverse, hand-turned urns. Ber van Reden, founder of the Urnencentrum Nederland, has now transferred the production to Nieuw Buinen and he now supervises the production of decorated urns in Drenthe.

Surprisingly, Van Reden appears to have an actual Goedewaagen background. His artisanal highly skilled father Ab was fired by Goedewaagen along with three colleagues in the 1950s when it was decided to divest the Star’s pottery dating from 1612. Ber van Reden learned the art of turning as a ten year old and he grew into an incredible craftsman who, for example, also taught pottery at the Gouda clay school for many years. Freely translated: Goedewaagen bought back Goedewaagen with the purchase of the Urnencentrum Nederland. During the guided tours of the museum and factory workshops organized by the museum, the contribution of the Urn Center is recognizable in many places.

Read more about “Museum research and presentations of the company history of the Goedewaagen group” »