A portable tattoo shop. A minimal amount of stuff you need to be able to tattoo someone or anywhere. This was widely used in the ports in the 50s and 60s. To prevent the sailors from spending their money in the city, the tattoo artist set to work in the harbor and on the ships themselves. Sometimes the tattoo artist woke up on the open sea with a hangover and was forced to go to the first best port where he had to arrange his return journey himself. This tile depicts a sailor being tattooed by Henk Schiffmacher himself. Craftmanship: TransferDimensions: 13 × 13 × 0,5 cm Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo “Ink connects. Layered, deeply rooted and a respectful ode to Delft Blue and the art of tattooing.” – Henk Schiffmacher In 2019, a unique collaboration between two traditional crafts from an old world. The overseas brought here from the East; rich in culture, meaning, tradition and symbolism. Art forms that are applied by hand, only once. With a needle in the skin, with a paintbrush on baked clay. Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo is a tale on faith, hope and love. Composed of exclusively designed, hand painted objects and transfered pieces. The designs by Schiffmacher The entire Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo collection is the result of a close collaboration with Schiffmacher, the master painters, and the design team of Royal Delft. Designs such as those of ‘Bord Memento Mori’ largely come from Schiffmacher, with a master-painter of Royal Delft adding the finishing touches. A product that the master painter enjoyed designing was the ‘Vaas True Love’. A product that the master painter really enjoyed was designing the ‘Vaas True Love’. “Henk had sent me a lot of sketches and it was up to me to create a cohesive piece. It was a big puzzle that I needed to piece together” – Master-painter From then to now Hendrikus (“Henk”) Johannes Everhardus Schiffmacher was born in 1952 and is one of the most famous Dutch tattoo artists. From an early age, Schiffmacher was interested in sketching and drawing. In his younger years he often participated in drawing competitions, and often won them. Due to his artistic ambition he started at the Advertising School in Amsterdam. His interest in tattooing arose after he walked past a tattoo parlor in Amsterdam in the afternoon. That interest has developed into its own art form that some tattoo artist dreams of. Because of the many trips Henk Schiffmacher has made throughout his life, he has been inspired in the old age ritual of tattooing. The unique collaboration between two traditional crafts from an old world is therefore also reflected in the Delft Blue pieces. Schiffmacher Royal Blue Tattoo is a story of faith, hope and love.
