Samuel Schellink (Dutch, 1876-1958)

Samuel Schellink (1876-1958) is mostly known for his work as a ceramic artist at several pottery factories, but was also skilled as a painter, etcher and watercolorist. Schellink was a self-taught artist. At the age of sixteen he moved to The Hague to become an apprentice at the Rozenburg pottery factory. His earliest works were made in a traditional and ‘safe’ style, with clear references to existing source material. Schellink’s career really took off when the factory started producing eggshell porcelain. His delicate flower and bird designs fitted quite well with the very thin porcelain. He made many sketches of his designs before applying them to the vases, and these skills proved quite useful when he started painting after Rozenburg stopped producing earthenware, in August 1914. He resumed his work as a ceramic artist for the Amphora tile factory and later on for the Goedewaagen pottery factory.