From the middle ages onward the barber did not only shave your beard. Since he made both his knives to shave beards, and axes, and sharp surgeon knives and scissors and the pliers to pull teeth, the barber’s field of activity included that of a surgeon, a kind of combination of a dentist and physician. Pulling molars and blood-letting were the most common treatments. Someone who did all of this at the same time is called the ‘barber surgeon’.

From a simple oval or circular utilitarian metal form, barber’s bowls in Delftware developed throughout the eighteenth century into elegant rococo shapes, of which the present bowl is an unusually spirited example.

Blue and White Oval Barber’s Bowl
Delft, circa 1760

Marked with an axe in blue for De Porceleyne Byl (The Porcelain Axe) factory

Painted in the center with peonies and other flowering plants growing around a pierced rock, the fluted rim with meander work reserved with four panels with an exotic bird standing near a pagoda, its lower edge with a neck notch, and its left side with an oval depression for the shaving ball, the foot rim pierced with two holes for suspension.

Length: 28.3 cm. (11.1 in.)

Price: € 6.500 (export US$ 7’750) [See in webshop]

Although Delft potters had begun experimenting with ways to replicate Chinese porcelain as early as the first half of the seventeenth century, it was not until around the 1650s that these efforts achieved real success. By the time Samuel van Eenhoorn acquired De Grieksche A in 1678, the Dutch market was experiencing a growing demand for exotic luxury goods, while imports of Chinese porcelain had become increasingly scarce. Delft factories responded by creating sophisticated tin-glazed earthenware that captured the appearance and prestige of Asian porcelain.

This remarkable vase reflects that pivotal moment in Delftware history. Whether its distinctive pear-shaped form was inspired by a Chinese prototype or was an original creation developed by Van Eenhoorn and his workshop remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that Van Eenhoorn was among the most innovative Delftware producers of his time. During his ownership, De Grieksche A became known for its extraordinary variety of forms, including polygonal bottles, elegant vases, and other ambitious decorative objects.

D2518
Blue and White Pear-Shaped Vase
Delft, circa 1680

Marked SVE 5 in blue for Samuel van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1678 until 1685

DIMENSIONS
Height: 26.7 cm. (10.5 in.)

PRICE
€ 9.500 (US$ 11,000 export*) incl. shipping
(excl. local taxes, if applicable)

Among the most elegant expressions of Delft ceramics produced around 1700 are objects intended for the dining table. This refined cruet set, made at the celebrated De Roos (The Rose) factory in Delft, reflects the growing sophistication of dining culture in the Dutch Republic at the turn of the eighteenth century.

The set comprises two gracefully modeled covered vessels, preserved together with their original fitted stand. Intended for the presentation of condiments during formal meals, such ensembles combined utility with decorative refinement and formed an important part of fashionable table display within affluent Dutch households.

Marked with an R in blue for De Roos, the set belongs to a period in which Delft potters achieved remarkable artistic and technical refinement. During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, dining customs became increasingly elaborate, influenced by French court culture and the emergence of multi-course service. Decorative table accessories gained prominence as symbols of taste and civility, encouraging Delft factories to create coordinated ensembles of exceptional elegance.

The present cruet set demonstrates the delicacy and assurance characteristic of the finest Delft production of the period. The vessels are distinguished by their elegant silhouettes, with elongated necks, scrolling handles, and finely curved spouts that lend the composition both balance and vitality. Their forms reveal careful consideration not only of practical function, but also of visual harmony.

The cobalt-blue decoration is executed with remarkable finesse upon a luminous white tin-glazed ground. Floral sprays, scrolling foliage, and playful putti animate the surfaces with a sense of lightness and rhythm. The painter skillfully balances richly ornamented passages with areas of open white ground, allowing the decoration to enhance rather than overwhelm the elegant contours of the vessels.

Cruet sets of this type are comparatively rare, particularly when preserved complete with their original stand and covers. Their survival provides valuable insight into the rituals of dining and domestic display during the Dutch seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when even functional tableware was designed to contribute to an atmosphere of refinement and cultivated taste.

More than three centuries after its creation, the cruet set continues to convey the elegance and sophistication that once adorned elite Dutch interiors. It remains both a functional object and a compelling work of art, a beautifully preserved example of early Delft craftsmanship at its finest.

D2621
Blue and White Cruet Set
Delft, circa 1700

Marked R in blue for De Roos (The Rose) factory

DIMENSIONS
Height: 18.5 cm. (7.3 in.)

PRICE
€ 11.500 (US$ 13,500 export*) incl. shipping
(excl. local taxes, if applicable)

This exceptional pair of Delft trays presents a refined and politically charged homage to Prince William IV, Stadtholder of the United Provinces, and his consort, Princess Anne of Hanover. Executed in a deep cobalt blue, the trays combine courtly portraiture with rich ornamental detail, embodying both the technical sophistication of Delft potters and the broader cultural significance of the House of Orange-Nassau in the mid-18th century.

Each tray is centered with a finely painted bust-length portrait, set within an architectural window opening that lends the composition both depth and a sense of staged grandeur. Princess Anne is depicted with elaborate coiffure, wearing pearl earrings and a sumptuous gown, her ermine-trimmed mantle emphasizing her royal dignity. Behind her, a landscape of trees and clouds is framed by a classical pillar, suggesting both cultivated taste and dynastic stability. The upper register is adorned with stylized acanthus leaves and a harp—perhaps an allusion to harmony and refinement—while beneath, a banderole identifies her as ANNA VAN BRUNSWYK LUNENBURG / Prinsesfe van Oranje enz. enz. enz. The composition is flanked by orange branches, alongside a lion holding a bundle of arrows and the head of a unicorn, reinforcing themes of sovereignty and legitimacy.

The companion tray depicts Prince William IV, shown wearing a short powdered wig, a sash, and an ermine-lined mantle over his embroidered uniform. The insignia of the Order of the Garter—conferred upon him in 1733—is prominently displayed, reflecting his international prestige. He holds a coat of arms featuring a lion rampant with sword and arrows, a potent symbol of Dutch unity and authority. His portrait is similarly framed within a window opening, crowned by acanthus ornamentation, a chain with a pendant of Saint George and the dragon, and a command staff. The banderole below reads WILLEM CAREL HENDRIK FRISO / Erfstadhouder der Vereenigde Nederlanden, accompanied by an orange branch.

Both trays are bordered by an upturned rim decorated with a blue-ground diaper pattern, rhythmically interrupted by floral panels. The undersides are raised on four bracket feet, a distinctive feature that enhances both their elegance and functionality.

Historically, these trays commemorate a significant moment in Dutch history. William IV (1711–1751), born posthumously to Johan Willem Friso, became Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen at birth and later, in 1747, the first hereditary General Stadtholder of all seven United Provinces. His marriage in 1734 to Princess Anne of Hanover, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, symbolized a powerful Anglo-Dutch alliance. Though his tenure was brief, William IV is remembered for administrative reforms, including the abolition of indirect taxation.

The portraits are directly based on a print dated 1750 by Pieter Tanjé, after a drawing by Gerard Sanders, a German-born court painter active in Düsseldorf and later Rotterdam. This translation from print to ceramic illustrates the close interplay between graphic media and Delftware production, as well as the widespread dissemination of royal imagery through decorative arts.

As a pair, these trays carry an added layer of meaning: together they celebrate not only individual status but dynastic unity. Objects such as these would have functioned as both decorative showpieces and expressions of political allegiance, reflecting the pride and identity of their owners within the socio-political landscape of the Dutch Republic.

D1734
Pair of Blue and White Royal Portrait Trays
Delft, circa 1750

Each painted in the center with a bust-length portrait, one depicting Princess Anne elaborately coifed and wearing pearl earrings and a lavish gown with an ermine fur mantel, placed in a window opening with a background of trees, clouds and a pillar, the top of the window decorated with stylized acanthus leaves and a harp, beneath her a banderole inscribed ANNA VAN BRUNSWYK LUNENBURG / Prinsesfe van Oranje enz. enz. enz., flanked by orange branches with on one side a lion holding a bundle of arrows and on the other side the head of a unicorn; the other depicting Prince William IV wearing a short light wig, a sash and mantel with ermine fur collar, and the Order of the Garter on his embroidered uniform, and holding the coat of arms with a lion rampant with sword and a bundle of arrows, also placed in a window opening with a background of trees and clouds, the top of the window decorated with stylized acanthus leaves, a chain with a pendant in the form of Saint George and the dragon and a command staff having on a ribbon, the banderole beneath him inscribed WILLEM CAREL HENDRIK FRISO / Erfstadhouder der Vereenigde Nederlanden, and an orange branch, the upturned rim with a blue ground diaper work border interrupted with floral panels, and the underside raised on four bracket feet.

DIMENSIONS
Heights: both 27.2 cm. (10.7 in.);
Widths: both 27.6 cm. (10.9 in.)

PRICE
€ 18.000 (US$ 21.000 export*) incl. shipping
(excl. local taxes, if applicable)

It was in the late seventeenth century, under the patronage of Queen Mary II, who was as passionate about Chinese blue and white porcelain and its local counterpart, Dutch Delftware, as she was about her gardens, that the Delft factories developed their technical skills and virtuosity in the production of all sorts of ‘vases with spouts’ to display flowers. Inspired by Queen Mary, it also became fashionable in aristocratic circles to decorate their residences with vases full of flowers. For instance, large vases were used to decorate the fireplace in the summer, and smaller vases were placed on the table during a festive meal.

Although the vases in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were filled with all varieties of cut flowers, there has been much misunderstanding about this. In the mid-nineteenth century, when collectors and art historians rediscovered Delft earthenware, they must have thought that the vases were intended to be filled with hyacinth bulbs or flowers, as they came to be known as ‘bouquetiers à Jacinthes’. Not long thereafter, however, a more familiar name came into fashion, which is still used today: ‘tulip vase’ or ‘tulipière’, ascribed to these vases on the revised supposition that they were intended specifically to hold the precious and popular tulips.

Blue and White Flower Vase
Delft, circa 1710

Miniature ceramic shoes like this pair were commonly sold at annual fairs and regional markets throughout the Low Countries. While most examples are undated, some bear inscriptions, initials, or dates, indicating that they were intended as personalized tokens for specific recipients or special occasions. Their purpose therefore extended beyond that of decorative curiosities to objects with clear social meaning.

In seventeenth-century Dutch visual culture, shoes carried a rich set of symbolic associations. They appear frequently in genre paintings, where they could convey romantic, playful, or subtly erotic undertones through well-understood visual puns. These meanings parallel broader marital customs of the period, including the tradition in some regions of brides receiving or wearing wooden clogs during wedding ceremonies: gestures connected to prosperity, fertility, and domestic harmony.

Within this context, the present pair of ceramic shoes participates in an established symbolic vocabulary. Their small scale, ornamental nature, and occasional personalized inscriptions suggest they were likely exchanged between lovers or newlyweds as intimate gifts. Serving as emblems of affection, good fortune, and marital bliss, they demonstrate how modest ceramic objects could embody complex layers of social meaning in early modern Dutch society.

D2045. Pair of Blue and White Models of Shoes

Delft, circa 1760

Each painted on the front and sides with floral scrollwork, a blossom on the molded flower on the front, the dotted-edged sole continuing around the arch and the heel washed in blue.

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 4.2 cm. (1.7 in.)
Lengths: 7.8 cm. (3.1 in.)

PRICE
€ 2.850 (US$ 3,000 export*) incl. shipping

(*excl. local taxes, if applicable)

Already in the seventeenth century the ‘cuspidor’ has been competing with the spittoon, which is a less elegant version of the cuspidor. The vessel and its function seem to have been introduced to the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), and according to Van Dam 1991, p. 88, who illustrates on p. 89, no. 42, a cuspidor dated 1747, with the increased availability and use of tobacco for smoking or chewing, “in the course of the seventeenth century the cuspidor or spittoon came to be used in Europeˮ as a receptacle for the spitting of the tobacco juice, hence the generous rim to provide the user with a greater “chance of hitting the target.ˮ Van Aken-Fehmers, p. 129, no.91, however, makes a distinction between cuspidors and spittoons, citing that the usually round spittoons have a dished rim and a handle, as opposed to the round cuspidors, which have a flared rim and do not always have a handle. Seventeenth-century estate inventories from the city of Delft as well as listings of the wares available from the Delft potteries initially mention only spittoons with no mention of cuspidors. The first appearance of cuspidors is on price lists of 1724, where they are listed beside spittoons, and were available in several sizes and versions.

Blue and White Cuspidor
Delft, circa 1750

The leaf-shaped body painted with three stylized floral sprigs and affixed with a scroll handle decorated with two beribboned Chinese symbols, repeated on the underside of the flaring rim, and on the top with a wide border of demi-flowerheads and leafy stems within the scalloped and barbed egde, its form echoed on the foot rim.

Height: 8.2 cm. (3.2 in.)

Price
€ 3.500 (US$ 4.100 export*) incl. shipping

(*excl. local taxes, if applicable)

Modeled in the shape of the Budai Heshang—affectionately known as the “Laughing Buddha”—these figures are sculpted in seated posture, their robes loosely draped to reveal the characteristically rounded belly. The faces are imbued with joyful expression, a feature central to Budai’s representation across artistic traditions. Each figure is ingeniously adapted as a functional flower holder, with a spout rising from the top of the head, delicately pierced and painted with floral sprigs. The robes are further adorned with stylized florets and leafy stems, all rendered in cobalt blue under a transparent glaze.

While Budai Heshang originated as a semi-legendary monk in Chinese Buddhist culture, often associated with Maitreya, the future Buddha, his imagery carried broad symbolic meanings of contentment, generosity, and good fortune. By the late seventeenth century, such figures were introduced into European decorative arts, inspired by increased cross-cultural exchange, particularly through the trading routes of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In Delft, artists and craftsmen responded to this new visual vocabulary by reinterpreting revered forms within the framework of Dutch ceramic traditions.

Lambertus van Eenhoorn, who operated De Metaale Pot from 1691 until his death in 1721, played a pivotal role in expanding the artistic boundaries of Delftware. His workshop is known for its finely modeled figures and richly ornamented blue and white wares. The present pair of Budai Heshang flower holders is emblematic of that spirit of innovation: both sculptural and utilitarian, they reflect the Delft potters’ ability to assimilate foreign iconography while preserving their distinctive aesthetic.

The integration of Chinese-inspired motifs into Delftware was not mere imitation but a creative reimagining. The potters’ sensitivity to line, proportion, and surface decoration is evident in these figures, where the joyful energy of the Budai is translated into an object that is both decorative and functional. Such pieces would have appealed to collectors of the time who were fascinated by the so-called “exotic,” while also appreciating the technical mastery and imaginative breadth of Delft artisans.

This pair is more than a charming curiosity—it is a testimony to the broader currents of artistic and cultural exchange that defined the early modern period. Delft potters were not only responding to aesthetic trends but actively shaping them, creating objects that bridged traditions and appealed to the tastes of a sophisticated European clientele.

The enduring popularity of the Budai figure, even when adapted for a European context, underscores the universal appeal of his jovial nature and the human values he embodies: abundance, benevolence, and happiness. Transformed into flower holders, these figures acquire a new dimension of playfulness and practicality, while preserving their symbolic core.

Pair of Blue and White Budai Heshang Flower Holders
Delft, circa 1700

Each marked LVE 0 2 in blue for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1691 until 1721, or his widow Margaretha Teckmann from 1721 to 1724

Each modeled as a seated Budai Heshang, wearing a robe loosely draped to reveal his corpulent belly and patterned with florets, sprigs and leafy stems, from his head emerges the spout painted with floral sprigs and an openwork rim.

Heights: 10.1 cm. (4 in.)

Price: € 28.000 (appr. export US$ 30,000*)

* Excluding local taxes if applicable

In the Low Countries, genre paintings enjoyed a distinct popularity, with paintings showing scenes of ordinary people engaged in common activities. Especially, scenes of drinking were a recurring theme. Delftware painters were influenced by these popular scenes and recreated them on plaques. An engraving after a painting by Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685) was the inspiration for this jolly tavern scene. Two different print sources may have served as models for the Delft artist: the etching of ‘The Country-Fair’ by Haarlem artist, Joannes Visscher (1633- after 1692), published by Nicolaes Visscher; and ‘Peasant Couple Dancing in Front of an Inn,’ by Willem de Broen, dated 1705.

The two aforementioned sources are printed in mirror-image to each other. In this case, the direction of the print compared with the painting on the plaque should not be a limiting factor for identifying the plaque’s graphic source. If a stencil is made of an engraving and then applied to a plaque, both the original print and the image on the plaque would correspond in direction. If that technique was used on the present plaque, then it would favor the Visscher print as the source. Likewise, copies made after engravings or etchings, which are in mirror image, would result in an image on the plaque in mirror image to the original. But it must be noted that no matter what the orientation of the print was, the Delft painter could transfer the stencil drawings in either direction, as he wished.

Blue and White Plaque
Delft, circa 1705

Painted with a tavern scene of peasants reveling and watching a couple dancing to the music of a horn-player, a skeptical cat seated on the tiled floor in the foreground, the rounded self-frame with a blue-ground border of large blossoms and profuse foliage and interrupted with four molded oval panels painted at the sides with a dancing Chinese boy (Zotje) and at the top and bottom with a long-billed bird amidst grassy plants, and the top further molded with a shell-form crest pierced with a hole for suspension, the reverse unglazed.

Height: 22.9 cm. (9 in.)

Price: € 9.500 (appr. export US$ 10’000*) [See in webshop]

* Excluding local taxes if applicable

This apothecary jar, inscribed with “Ung. Opiatum,” is an unusually shaped example of Delftware used for storing opium-based ointments. Such preparations, known as Unguentum Opiatum, were highly regarded in early medical practices for their powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Typically applied to alleviate localized pain, reduce swelling, and treat skin conditions such as wounds or ulcers, these ointments reflect the pivotal role of opium in the evolving field of early pharmaceutical treatments.

Delft apothecary jars were both practical and decorative, often distinguished by intricate designs and precise labeling of their contents. While most pharmacy jars from this period were cylindrical, with a slightly flared rim and gently narrowing base, this jar’s straight-sided form is notably rare. Comparable examples are known to have been produced at the De Drie Klokken and De Klaauw (The Claw) factories, underscoring its distinctive craftsmanship.

Blue and White Apothecary Jar and Cover
Delft, circa 1740

Marked with three bells in blue for De Drie Klokken (The Three Bells) factory

The straight, cylindrical white body shows an oval cartouche in blue inscribed with ‘Ung:Opiatum’, framed by blue ribbon scrolls and topped with a floral motif, likely laurel leaves.

Height: 18.5 cm. (7.3 in.)

Price: € 6.500 (appr. export US$ 7,000*)
*excluding local taxes, if applicable