Following the 1609 Twelve Year Truce with Spain, and the Treaty of Münster which ended the 80 Year War in 1648, the war-damaged cities of the Dutch Republic were rebuilt and began to enjoy a new-found economic prosperity based on sea and river trade. The reconstruction and subsequent development of towns also required the increased use of tiles as a building material.

The earliest tiles were made of clay found along the floodplains of riverbeds; the clay was a blend of eroded rock fragments infused with minerals and organic matter, including iron, which produced the red color of tiles after firing. The first Dutch tiles were unglazed and used on the floor. Because the porous tiles deteriorated rapidly, however, lead and tin-glazing were quickly introduced to protect and waterproof the tiles. The technique of tin-glazing was first used in Europe by Moorish craftsmen in the early Middle Ages, but this method was introduced to the northern provinces of The Netherlands only in the beginning of the sixteenth century.

The Dutch craze for tiles in the home as objects of both utility and decoration – as a building material tiles reduced fire risk, kept out the damp and were an easy surface to keep clean - resulted in the establishment of factories not only in Delft, but throughout Holland to satisfy a constantly increasing demand.

Sometime around the middle of the seventeenth century, tiles with monochromatic motifs consisting solely of a central image and stylized corner designs such as these became fashionable with wealthy urbanites in The Netherlands. At the same time, the more richly decorated polychrome tiles (see Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1979-50-479--482) they replaced gained popularity in rural areas of the country. Depictions of children romping and children’s games were commonplace on tiles in the new style; the images on the tiles in this series include boys frolicking and games such as bird-on-a-perch, blowpipe, and tops.