Lydia Szubert Merges Delft Blue Ceramics with Tattoo Artistry in Delft

Lydia Szubert, a Dutch-born Australian artist, combines Delft Blue pottery with tattooing after six years as a tattoo artist. She lives and works in Delft, Netherlands, where Delftware production dates to the early 17th century. Szubert's fascination with folk art and tattoos led her to design Delft Blue tattoos, but she felt they lacked authenticity. To learn from masters, she approached De Blauwe Tulp, Delft's smallest Delftware factory, which neighbored her tattoo shop. After a one-off workshop, she became the only student there, training in exchange for making and painting ceramics weekly. Szubert studied graphic design and painting in London, Rotterdam, and Florence, and her upbringing included childhood in Austria, boarding school in England, and teenage years in Adelaide/Tarntanya. She emphasizes the secretive nature of the Delft Blue industry, noting no books teach the craft. Her Instagram account, @delftbluetattoo, showcases her work. The story is featured in issue 131 of frankie magazine, available from the frankie shop or stockists.