|
|
|
Neerlandia was first designed as a breakfast service of flatware and produced by Leerdam in 1939 as part of the H-collectie (Household Collection). It was a cheap and cheerful design produced rapidly and cheaply for sale in the larger department stores. Leerdam was well aware of its shortcomings and in the early years of production it did not bear the Leerdam brand, which was reserved for the superior quality 'industrial-arts' products like Primula. Although Copier approved the designs, he also made all possible use of the old moulds and adjusted several existing designs to make a matching format. However modest the production values, the trauma of the war years meant that new tableware remained an unattainable dream for Dutch housewives in wartime, although, when the war finished, the sense of expectation soon started to grow. Neerlandia succeded in its mission to be 'first to the high street' after the war and housewives who had not seen new or coloured tableware for years flocked to the shops to take advantage of the restocked shops. As a result it remains an important memory, recalling the sense of relief felt by a country returning to peacetime and domestic normalities. Of all the Dutch glass in our collection, Neerlandia is the most widely recognised and evokes the strongest memories. 
Many customers rushed to the shops to find that only a limited range was left. One of our visitors has told us how her father had raided the family savings to purchase a collection of Neerlandia for his wife's birthday. It was all laid out on the breakfast table as mother came downstairs on her special day, full of expectation, and then... Mother burst into tears at the 'ugly' glass plates, then slowly and gently, father started to cry as he realised his error, and then all the children started to cry because they could understand how their parents felt!  Leerdam H-collection 1940
|
 Some pieces of Neerlandia (such as the milk and sugar set) are still easy to find for a few euros, although larger plates are quite prone to chips and scratches which dramatically impairs their collectability. Decanters are especially prone to vertical cracks in the neck resulting from excessive pressure on the stopper. Despite some negative responses it remained in use for many years in Dutch homes. As the sales continued to rise, the range was expanded with new items. The shade of green was lightemed and amber and clear-glass versions appeared. The most expensive items amongst collectors include the waterjug, fruit test and the egg-cup-on-saucer. Leerdam also produced a number of vases, trays, ashtrays and other H-collection items which matched with Neerlandia's colour (and used similar design elements) but were not officially part of the Neerlandia range.  Hollandia Leerdam extended the range several times, also making small changes to the designs. In 1951 a revised collection was produced and given the name Hollandia, it included the popular nested set of bowls and new sizes of plates. Subsequently the pattern was re-launched in the lighter shade known as 'silver-green', but it failed to meet with much success. As well as a new set of bowls, the Hollandia included revised versions of the milk jug, jampot (7414) and butterdish (7415), which was adapted to fit a standard (square) pack. 
Leerdam catalogue 1950 Hollandia designs have a round ribbed knob on the top, which was found more practical than the 'lifting tab' used in Neerlandia. |
 111402 - Cheese dish (silvergreen), 25.00 111403 - Cheese dish (amber), 25.00 111401 - Cheese dish (olive green), 25.00 |
 111410 - Decanter / Vinegar 75.00 111411 - Eggcup /Bitter glass 6.00 111412 - Meat-plate (small), 15.00 111413 - Meat-plate (large), 15.00 |
 111418 - Jampot (#707 clear), 14.00 111419 - Butterdish (#969, olive), 14.00 111420 - Jampot(#6212), 14.00 |
 111418 - Jampot (clear), 14.00 111419 - Butterdish (clear), 14.00 111420 - Ashtray (large, clear), 10.00 111421 - Gateau sideplate, 3.00 111422 - Bowlset (nest of 5) |
 111408 - Fruit bowl, 12.50 111403 - Cheese dish, 25.00 111409 - Fruit test 25.00 |
 111414 - Sideplate, 10.00 111415 - Cup 7.50 111416 - Saucer, 3.00 111417 - Ashtray (small) |
 100508 - Bowlpot with lid, 85.00 111422 - Ladel, 22.50 111415 - Cup 7.50 |
 |
