Delft, dated 1720

DIMENSIONS
Vase: Height: 14.8 cm. (5.8 in.);
Butter tub: Height: 14 cm. (5.5 in.)
Dishes: Diameters 22.2-22.6 cm. (8-8.9 in.)

PROVENANCE
Meentwijck Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

LITERATURE
Butter tub: Aronson, 2009, p. 68, no. 42;
Plate “Wie wil Premie?” in Aronson 2011, p. 51, no. 29;
Plate “Actions a vendre” in Aronson 2012, pp. 56-57, no. 32.

NOTE
The figures decorating this vase, butter tub, and accompanying eight plates refer to the South Sea Bubble of 1720, the major financial crisis caused by speculation in the South Sea Company in England. The frenzy soon spread to France and the Dutch Republic, where it became known as the Tafereel der Dwaasheid (“The Great Scene of Madness”). The event was vividly documented in the contemporary satirical compendium Het Groote Tafereel der Dwaasheid (1720), which includes engravings such as De windhandel of bubbel compagnien (“The Air Trade or Bubble Companies”), Arlequin actionist (“Harlequin Shareholder”), and Nederland in gekheid (“The Netherlands in Foolishness”).

The absurdity of the bubble and the widespread financial losses it caused inspired a small but notable group of satirical European ceramics. In the Netherlands, Delftware examples, often called actie borden (“shares plates”), frequently depict jugglers, fools, or Harlequin figures holding share certificates, echoing the humor and critique of contemporary penny prints. These images mocked the folly of speculative investing and served as cautionary reminders to Dutch audiences following the collapse of John Law’s financial system in France (see Howard & Ayers, China for the West, 1978, vol. I, pp. 234–235).

Although only a few Dutch Delft plates with this subject survive, related Chinese export porcelain versions were produced around 1722 in three distinct series for the Dutch market. These typically feature Commedia dell’Arte figures, with or without satirical inscriptions, and are among the most remarkable special commissions made for Dutch clients by the VOC.

The present Delftware group, comprising a vase, a pot, and eight plates, belongs to this rare satirical tradition. By combining spirited imagery with pointed social commentary, these objects capture both the artistic ingenuity of Delft potters and the cultural impact of one of the most notorious financial crises of the early eighteenth century.

Delft, dated 1744

Each marked on the reverse with unidentified initials IVRB 1744 in blue

Each painted in blue, green, iron-red and yellow, with a three-layered dashed fountain flanked by birds in a stylized garden filled with flowers, C-volutes and scrollwork, the self-molded bframe with a blue-ground border reserved with floral scrollwork within blue lines and a band above the outer edge affixed at the top with a pair of leaf scrolls flanking the suspension hole.

DIMENSIONS
Height: 24.5 cm. (9.7 in.);
Width: 22 cm. (8.7 in.)

NOTE
Referred to as “porcelain paintings” in period household inventories, Delftware plaques were designed to be admired much like traditional paintings on panel, canvas, or copper. However, due to their visual similarity to prints and paintings, it is exceptionally rare to find contemporary representations that depict how they were originally displayed in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century interiors. By the late seventeenth century, Delftware plaques were distinguished by their refined craftsmanship and creative designs. Their shapes became increasingly stylized, with cut-out and molded contours enhancing their decorative appeal. The imagery on Delftware plaques was highly diverse, often reflecting contemporary artistic trends, social concerns, and prevailing tastes. Many plaques took inspiration from canvas paintings or prints, the
latter often based on original paintings.

A widely used reproduction technique involved pouncing, a method by which designs were transferred from prints onto ceramics. This process entailed perforating the print to create a stencil and then dusting fine charcoal powder (known as ‘pounce’) through the perforations. The resulting dotted outline provided a guide for painting the motif, with the charcoal powder burning off during the glost firing process. This technique ensured precision in replicating artistic compositions while allowing Delftware painters to imbue their works with their own stylistic interpretations.

SIMILAR EXAMPLES
A pair of similarly molded plaques with chinoiserie decorations is illustrated in Aronson 2023, pp. 60-61, no. 33. Another pair of the same model is illustrated in Aronson 2003, p. 25, no. 23. Additionally, a plate with a related ornamental design in the same color scheme was sold at RM Auctions on January 31, 2016, lot 357.

Delft, dated 1754

Delft, dated 1715

Delft, dated 1727

Delft, dated 1737

Delft, dated 1719

Delft, dated 1717

Delft, circa 1760

Painted in the center with the mythological story of Narcissus, depicting a seated Narcissus looking at his reflection in the water, with two hunting dogs and trees in the background, the rim with a floral trellis diaperwork band reserved with four panels painted with flowering plants.

Diameter: 23 cm. (9 in.)

Note: The classic, mythological story of Echo and Narcissus is written in book three of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. One day when Narcissus was walking in the woods, the nymph Echo saw him and fell in love with him. Narcissus sensed he was being followed and shouted “Who’s there?” upon which Echo repeated “Who’s there?”. When she eventually revealed her identity and tried to embrace him, Narcissus rejected her. She was heartbroken and spent the rest of her life in lonely glens until nothing remained of her but an echo sound. Nemesis (as an aspect of Aphrodite), the goddess of revenge decided to punish Narcissus after learning this story. The plate depicts the moment when Narcissus was getting thirsty after hunting and was lured by Nemesis to a pool. He leaned upon the water and saw himself in the bloom of youth, not realizing that it was merely his own reflection. Narcissus fell deeply in love with it and was unable to leave the allure of his image. He eventually realized that his love could not be reciprocated and he melted away from the fire of passion burning inside him, eventually turning into a gold and white flower. This myth inspired many artists and artisans, such as Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), see illustration beside, and the Delftware painter who probably decorated this plate after a print.

Delft, dated 1693

Each decorated in the center with a quartered shield depicting a lion rampant, a stag, three stylized trees and an eagle beneath a demi-lion rampant crest and helmet within foliate mantling and above the inscription A:v: celaert Anno 1693 10/23, the cavetto with a demi-ruyi-head border, and the rim with a broad ornamental border of foliate scrolls and birds and reserved with four oval vignettes, each depicting a bird perched on a flowering branch.

Diameter: 25.5 cm. (10.4 in.) Provenance Van Nie & Winnubst Antiquairs, Amsterdam, 1987; Dutch Private Collection

Note: From the first decade of the seventeenth century, wapengoet such as jugs, plates and other objects with armorial decorations became increasingly popular. These armorial wares were often commissioned for special occasions, such as a birth or a wedding. Although at first objects were only decorated with the coats of arms of cities, in the beginning of the seventeenth century the wares were now marked with the newly ascribed coats of arms of individual citizens. The families without coats of arms could order pre-decorated plates with fantasy coats of arms. The Delft factories not only received commissions for plates from Dutch families, but also from abroad. The style of the Delft armorial wares varied greatly and continually followed the latest fashions. One such change was the placement of the coats of arms on the dishes. During the last quarter of the seventeenth century, Delftware painters followed Italian and French examples that depicted the coats of arms on the broad rim of the dishes. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, however, the painters moved the symbols to the center of the dish, and gradually increased the size of the crest with elaborate decorations, as can be seen on the present set of four plates.