Delft is a type of earthenware that was made in the late 1500's and flourished into the mid-1700's. It is named for the town of Delft in the Netherlands, a center of production. About the same time, potters in England made a similar pottery also called delft. Delft was glazed with tin oxide to produce a creamy white surface. Designs were painted with other metallic oxides that turned various colors when the pottery was fired (baked). Delft resembles pottery called faience and majolica. The three types differ in the style of their decoration. See Faience; Majolica.