Princessehof Ceramics Museum

The Princessehof Ceramics Museum (Dutch: Keramiekmuseum Princessehof) is a museum of ceramics located in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Established in 1917, it is housed in two historic buildings: a small baroque palace built in 1693 and a former 15th-century stronghold. The museum is notable for its extensive collection of Asian, European, and Islamic ceramics, as well as for its architecturally significant buildings and their connections to Dutch royal history and the artist M.C. Escher.

The museum's origins trace to the ceramic collection of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel, known locally as Marijke Meu, who acquired the building in 1731 after serving as regent for her son William IV. She began collecting ceramics, and her collection now forms part of the museum's holdings, displayed in the baroque Nassaukamer. After her death, the building was divided into three houses. In 1916, the municipality of Leeuwarden purchased the Princessehof, and in 1917 notary and art collector Nanne Ottema, together with his wife Grietje Kingma, founded the museum to exhibit Indonesian and Chinese art. The collection grew initially through donations from collectors. Ottema, who authored a handbook on collecting Chinese ceramics, also bequeathed his specialist library of approximately 15,000 books to the museum. The Ottema-Kingma Stichting (foundation) continues the founders' legacy, maintaining an online database and associated library, and remains the formal owner of the Asian ceramics collection.

The museum's collection has grown continuously since its founding to approximately 35,000 pieces. The Asian collection, owned by the Ottema-Kingma Stichting, spans from around 2800 BC to the 20th century, with particular strengths in Chinese porcelain including famille rose, famille verte, and famille noire pieces from the Qing dynasty. Additional Asian objects come from Japan and the former Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). The European department encompasses English Wedgwood, Italian majolica, Meissen porcelain, and Dutch Delftware, alongside Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects dating from roughly 1885 to 1940. Contemporary works include pieces by Karel Appel, Bart van der Leck, Lucebert, Pierre Alechinsky, A.R. Penck, and Pablo Picasso. Islamic ceramics from Iran, Syria, and Turkey form another collecting area.

Signature holdings include the Nassaukamer, a baroque period dining room preserving the porcelain collection of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel. The museum permanently exhibits the complete original studio of Dutch ceramist Jan van der Vaart (1931-2000). The collection of Chinese ceramics ranks among the museum's highlights, with the oldest pieces dating to around 3000 BC. On 13 February 2023, the museum suffered a burglary in which eleven precious Chinese ceramics were stolen; seven pieces were destroyed during the thieves' escape, while four remained unaccounted for. The heist occurred less than two weeks after a failed break-in attempt.

The museum occupies two connected historic structures. The principal building, the Princessehof, is a baroque townhouse completed in 1693 at Grote Kerkstraat 11, incorporating an earlier section from around 1622 and remnants of the 15th-century Liauckemastins stronghold, also known as the Papinga stins. Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel purchased it in 1731 and expanded it into her residence. The building was later split into three houses; the middle house was the birthplace in 1898 of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, renowned for his mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. The adjacent stronghold building is also used by the museum.

The Princessehof Ceramics Museum is located in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. The museum is municipally owned, having been purchased by the city in 1916. It offers a café and regularly hosts temporary art exhibitions alongside its permanent displays. The museum's website is https://www.princessehof.nl.