Dutch Delft Blue and White Vase, 18th Century

Ref: W367

Archive item - not for sale

Dutch Delft blue and white vase, 18th century, with octagonal base and of baluster form with tin glaze, decorated in blue with two large panels containing chinoiserie scenes of figures; one with two figures in a rocky landscape with trailing ferns, the other with a fine gentleman inspecting some blossom in a fenced garden while an attendant looks on; the sides decorated with lions amongst scrolling leaves, the shoulders with flower head and leafwork against a scrolling ground, a band of ruyi heads to the neck, the lower section with central flower medallions with scrolling decoration.

Dimensions:

Height: 29.7cm (11 ⅝ in.)

Condition:

Chip and glaze loss to rim, fritting to foot.

Notes:

Early delftware, produced after the first pottery was founded in Antwerp in 1512, was mostly decorated with geometric and heraldic designs. However, by the 17th and 18th centuries the preeminence of luxury export Chinese porcelains on the tables of the wealthy influenced design dramatically. Both in form and decoration, delft earthenware vessels such as this were inspired by Chinese models and represent the strength with which the idea of ‘the orient’ and associated notions of taste and fashion gripped European society of the time.