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)

Delft flower baskets, intended for floral arrangements, have formed part of the repertoire of Delft potteries since the later seventeenth century. Certain workshops even appointed specialists devoted exclusively to the production of these so-called bennetjes. Dated examples reveal that they were frequently commissioned as gifts for festive or ceremonial occasions, underscoring their dual function as both utilitarian and ornamental objects. Their presence in distinguished collections, including that of Paleis Het Loo, attests to their prestige.

This mid-eighteenth-century pair, with its intended use indicated on the bottom, confirms that the tradition of arranging flowers in ceramic baskets continued, albeit on a more modest scale. The relatively small number of surviving eighteenth-century examples suggests that the practice reached its zenith in the final quarter of the seventeenth century. The delicately pierced body and carefully executed decoration of this pair point to the hand of an accomplished and experienced maker.

D2554
Blue and White Pair of Open Work Baskets
Delft, circa 1750

Each marked IB in blue for Justus Brouwer of De Porceleyne Byl (The Porcelain Axe) factory from 1739 to 1775

Each finely painted with an elaborate central scene depicting a basket brimming with fruit, resting on an ornate baroque table and surrounded by delicately rendered insects and butterflies, the pierced sides highlighted in cobalt blue, the handles molded in the form of interlocking dolphins, the upper rim featuring a scrollwork band both on the exterior and the interior, the lower exterior decorated with a geometrical band of squares and triangles with stripes in the middle.

DIMENSIONS
Width: 25.5 and 26 cm. (10 and 10.2 in.)

PROVENANCE
Cor & An Erwich (Barbet) Collection, Belgium;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

PRICE
€ 26.000 (US$ 31.000 export*) incl. shipping
(excl. local taxes, if applicable)

For thousands of years, salt has been an indispensable commodity. Essential for preserving and flavoring food, it once held such universal value that it functioned as an international medium of exchange. In antiquity, Roman soldiers were famously paid in salt, giving rise to the Latin salarium, the origin of the modern word “salary.” Salt was also among the earliest commodities to be taxed, with records of salt taxation in China dating back as far as 2000 BC. Given its economic and cultural importance, it is hardly surprising that salt occupied a prominent place on medieval and Renaissance dining tables.

Salt cellars, often referred to simply as “salts”, were designed to contain this precious substance, with the earliest known examples already in use in classical Rome. Beyond their practical function, salts served as powerful social indicators. The quality of salt presented by a host reflected both wealth and status, while a guest’s position at the table could be judged by their proximity to the salt cellar: to sit “above the salt” was a mark of distinction. The most luxurious salts were fashioned from precious metals, while others were made from porcelain, earthenware, or pewter.

By the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the symbolic significance of salt gradually diminished, and salt cellars became correspondingly smaller. The present Delft salt cellar, however, belongs to an earlier tradition. Its square form and notable height point to a period when salt still held considerable ceremonial importance. Archival sources confirm that square salts were produced in Delft from at least 1667 onwards, yet very few examples of this particular model have survived. As such, this piece offers a rare and evocative glimpse into the rituals and hierarchies of the seventeenth-century table.

D2512
Blue and White Square Salt Cellar
Delft, circa 1670

Biconical vessel on a square base with four round feet in each corner, continuous decoration with on each side a figure in a various landscape, at the top, a square basin with a cherry motif surrounded by a band of scroll work.

DIMENSIONS
Height: 12 cm. (4.7 in.)

PROVENANCE
German Private Collection, Hessen

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)

At the heart of the composition, a Zotje, a cheerful or foolish boy, approaches the graceful Lange Lijs, who stands poised with a tray amidst fluttering birds and insects. Around them, the painter has created a delightful garden setting: a table set with vases of flowers, a delicately rendered fence, and, beyond tasseled drapery, a pagoda rising against the sky. The scene is alive with movement, yet perfectly balanced within the circular frame of the dish, demonstrating the painter’s mastery of narrative and decoration alike.

The subject may ultimately have been inspired by depictions of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West, a divine figure in Chinese mythology associated with immortality and the celestial garden of paradise. Traditionally portrayed surrounded by attendants and flowering trees, Xi Wang Mu was celebrated as a guardian of longevity and harmony. It is possible that this Delft painter, working from East Asian models, translated such imagery into a playful and distinctly Dutch idiom, transforming a legendary goddess into an engaging scene of courtly grace.

Measuring 34.5 cm (13.6 in.) in diameter, this dish is notable for its impressive size, as this particular design is more commonly found on smaller examples. It once formed part of the Dr. Günther Grethe Collection in Hamburg, a provenance that underlines its quality and significance.

Comparable examples include a larger version, measuring 40 cm (15.75 in.), in the Kunstmuseum Den Haag (inv. no. 0400276), and a ribbed bowl with similar decoration, also marked APK, in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. no. BK-NM-12400-301), with a smaller diameter of 26 cm (10.2 in.).

This dish stands as a superb example of early eighteenth-century Delftware at its most cosmopolitan, an object where Dutch artistry, Asian inspiration, and the spirit of storytelling meet in perfect harmony.

LARGE IMARI DISH
Delft, circa 1710

Marked APK for Pieter Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1701 to 1703, or his widow, Johanna van der Heul, who continued the business until 1722.

Link to this dish in our webshop

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)

From the late seventeenth century onwards, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) played a decisive role in shaping European taste. As the supply of Chinese porcelain was interrupted by political unrest, the Company shifted much of its porcelain trade to Japan. Among the most coveted imports was Japanese Kakiemon porcelain, admired for its delicate palette and refined imagery of birds, plants, and sometimes even exotic animals. While initially costly and rare, these wares quickly became a source of inspiration for the Delft potters.

In Delft, the Kakiemon style was not copied literally, but creatively adapted to Western forms and tastes. The delicate tied sheaves of grain, sprouting bamboo, pine, and prunus blossoms so typical of the Japanese examples were translated into fuller, more continuous patterns that completely enveloped the Delft objects. This not only enhanced their decorative appeal but also reflected the economic logic of the period: the more richly an object was painted, the more expensive it became.

Such butter tubs—luxury items intended to grace the dining table—are therefore a fascinating testimony to the cultural dialogue between East and West in the eighteenth century. They demonstrate how Delft potters took inspiration from the exclusivity of Japanese porcelain and transformed it into their own imaginative interpretations. While their Kakiemon counterparts were precious imports reserved for the wealthy few, Delftware offered a more accessible yet equally elegant alternative, imbued with local creativity and craftsmanship.

Dimensions
Width of stands: 18.7 cm. (7.4 in.)

€ 18.500 (US$ 21,000 export*)
incl. shipping
(*excl. local taxes, if applicable)

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