Helen Shiner Aug 20, 2012:

@Stephen If you look carefully at your the image in your link, you will see that there are ceramic panels with birds and flowers on the walls in that Stube. I guess that is what is meant by the Blumenpottjes in that instance. It makes me think that 'floral or decorative tiles' is what is meant rather than tiles with depictions of flower pots per se.

Helen Shiner Aug 20, 2012:

Interesting If one looks in detail at Coqueiro's link, it is the Blumenpottjes, and not all of the tiles, that are termed as such - i.e. pottjes. I'm wondering whether the small pots of flowers represented were the original source of the term, now expanded to include all such Fliesen. Just a thought. Maybe a motif typical of, and predominating, in a particular region. All that said, I would go with decorative tiles, and not particularly insist on the floral motif.

Nicola Wood Aug 20, 2012:

Makes sense to me too I would give it an agree if you post it as an answer, Lis.

Stephen Reader Aug 20, 2012:

Go for it... (as your ans.) Coqueiro and Lis,
Your findings look eindeutig, spot-on.

Coqueiro Aug 20, 2012:

with Lis http://www.antiquebuilding.com/album/Delfterfliesen/Kompassr...

Lis Liesicke Aug 20, 2012:

http://www.google.de/imgres?q="käseholz"&um=1&hl=de&sa=N&tbm...
if you look at this picture I think it's the tiles

freekfluweel Aug 20, 2012:

Dutch POV (t)je(s) = "chen". "Pot" could also mean "dish/food" in general. "Eten wat de pot schaft"/Essen was da ist/To take potluck. So it could mean the physical Töpchen in which das Essen is served as well as the traditional Friese Pot/Frisian Food/Dishes.

http://www.ruitenbergboek.nl/ruitenbergboek/boek.php?b=302

(Double "t" is apparantly used in the German-Frisian -region.

Nicola Wood Aug 20, 2012:

Töpfchen According to this it is a diminutive form meaning Töpfchen
http://books.google.at/books?id=Tgxnb6MYAiMC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA3...

Stephen Reader Aug 20, 2012:

Probably mugs or tankards; probably an ad? With that "original...", your source is an ad. (or ironic prose), isn't it? - Context?
Google "Friesische Pottjes" and you get some likely leads, probably illustrated - didn't look further, but cf.

Hotel Faehrhaus - Bewertung von Hotels in Sylt, Deutschland

www.easyvoyage.de/hotelbewertung/faehrhaus-200632
Bewertung: 8.5/10 - Bewertung von Léa Clara Hofmann
Restaurant Fährhaus? befindet sich die friesisch angehauchte ? ... Die aus original Pottjes und antikem Käseholz gemütlich eingerichtete Friesenstube ist von ...

Nicola Wood Aug 20, 2012:

That would be supported by this entry, Although the author has chosen not to translate pottjes
http://www.cosatravel.com/index.cfm?go=travel.detail&id=1671...

Lesley Robertson MA, Dip Trans IoLET (asker) Aug 20, 2012:

I found that too but it doesn't fit in with the Friesian context. I'm wondering if it's some kind of ceramic pottery

Nicola Wood Aug 20, 2012:

Some kind of cooking pot Found a couple of mentions on google whoch would both correspond to a cooking pot. This one seems most helpful, although this refers to Pottjes being south African (from the Dutch?)
http://www.camp-oven.de/