Delft, circa 1765

Each marked and numbered A / IH 12 107 in manganese for Jacobus Halder, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1764 until 1768

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 13.5 cm. (5.3 in.);
Diameter: 11 cm. (4.3 in.)

PROVENANCE
Belgian private collection until 2023;
Collection of Michel van Gelder (1864–1929), Château Zeecrabbe, Uccle, Brussels

NOTE
Jacobus Adriaensz. Halder’s tenure as owner of the renowned Delft pottery De Grieksche A lasted only from December 1764 to 1768, yet in those few years he left a clear imprint on the factory’s production. Born in September 1741 to Margaretha van Rheenen and Adrianus Halder, he grew up in a period when Delftware faced increasing competition from foreign ceramics. In 1763 he married Johanna Radder, and soon after the couple acquired De Grieksche A from Jan Theunis Dextra (likely aided by Johanna’s inherited wealth from her first marriage). Two years later, Halder registered his “A / IH” mark with the Saint Luke’s Guild, at first as a shopkeeper, but by the time he sold the business in 1768 to Johannes van Briel and Petronella van der Laan, he had achieved the title of master potter.

During his brief but active ownership, Halder oversaw a diverse production that balanced tradition with innovation. The factory continued to produce classic blue-and-white Delftware, but also ventured into more elaborate figural pieces and imaginative figurative tablewares. Among his most distinctive contributions was a small group of petit feu Rococo objects inspired by Meissen porcelain, their refined colors and playful forms showing a keen awareness of changing European tastes. These works, produced at a time when Delft potters were under pressure from English creamware and German porcelain, reflect Halder’s determination to keep his wares competitive. Yet the limited number of surviving examples hints that this experimental line may have met with only moderate commercial success, or that the necessary specialist skills were lost when Halder left the factory. The present butter tubs, marked with his “A / IH” monogram, are part of this creative chapter, embodying both the craftsmanship and the inventiveness that defined De Grieksche A during his tenure.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Height: 10.2 cm. (4 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection;
Sold at Vendu Pulchri, Lot no. 561, November 1968

NOTE
This Delftware figure is part of a broader eighteenth-century interest in genre imagery, in which scenes drawn from everyday life were translated into decorative objects for the domestic interior. In the third quarter of the eighteenth century, Delft potters increasingly shifted away from Asian models and turned to European subjects, particularly those popularized by German porcelain manufactories such as Meissen. The present figure exemplifies this change in taste.

The sheaf of grain functions as a meaningful attribute, identifying the figure as a rural or agricultural type. In European visual culture, grain was associated with harvest, fertility, and abundance, and frequently appeared in representations of laborers and market figures. It could also allude more broadly to the allegory of Autumn, one of the Four Seasons, although in Delftware such references were typically suggestive rather than strictly codified.

Small genre figures of this kind were inspired by German porcelain models, themselves often based on printed sources. The influential Meissen Cris de Paris series, designed by Peter Reinicke in 1753 after drawings by Christoph Huet, provided important prototypes. Whereas porcelain figures tend to convey a refined elegance inherent to the medium, Delftware genre figures emphasize a more informal, folkloric character, marked by humor and immediacy.

The figure reflects the rococo aesthetic that spread across Europe during the reign of Louis XV. Although rococo was not a native Dutch style, its playful forms and decorative appeal were readily integrated into Dutch interiors. Displayed on mantelpieces, console tables, or in cabinets, figures such as this combined symbolic resonance with decorative charm, embodying a distinctly Dutch interpretation of contemporary European taste.

Delft, circa 1770

DIMENSIONS
Height: 8 cm. (3.2 in.)

NOTE
In the eighteenth-century Netherlands, wine vinegar, or wijnazijn, was a valued commodity both in domestic kitchens and for commercial use, particularly in preserving food and enhancing flavour in Dutch cuisine. The production of wine vinegar was a deliberate and skilled process, distinct from the accidental souring of wine.

The basic method involved allowing wine to undergo acetic fermentation, typically facilitated by introducing a mother of vinegar (a cellulose and acetic acid bacteria culture) into barrels of leftover or lower-quality wine. The conversion relied on warmth, oxygen, and time, conditions often optimized in specially constructed spaces known as azijnkamers (vinegar rooms), frequently located in the attics of townhouses or in dedicated workshops.

A notable feature of this process in the Netherlands was the use of specialized ‘wijn azijn’ barrels, often made from oak or chestnut wood. These barrels were generally smaller than those used for wine storage, and were designed to allow for increased surface contact between the liquid and air, an essential factor for promoting the oxidative fermentation. Some barrels even included removable lids or apertures to aid in this process. Markings such as WIJN AZIJN were occasionally inscribed or branded onto the barrels to denote their specific use, and to avoid contamination of wine or other liquids stored in similar casks.

Vinegar-making was sometimes part of the broader activities of brewers, distillers, or apothecaries, but it was also carried out at home. Housekeeping manuals of the period occasionally included vinegar recipes, indicating its domestic importance. The resulting vinegar ranged in quality and could be aged further to produce stronger or more refined varieties.

Delft, circa 1770

DIMENSIONS
Height: 10.3 cm. (4.1 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Maastricht;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
In the eighteenth-century Netherlands, wine vinegar, or wijnazijn, was a valued commodity both in domestic kitchens and for commercial use, particularly in preserving food and enhancing flavour in Dutch cuisine. The production of wine vinegar was a deliberate and skilled process, distinct from the accidental souring of wine.

The basic method involved allowing wine to undergo acetic fermentation, typically facilitated by introducing a mother of vinegar (a cellulose and acetic acid bacteria culture) into barrels of leftover or lower-quality wine. The conversion relied on warmth, oxygen, and time, conditions often optimized in specially constructed spaces known as azijnkamers (vinegar rooms), frequently located in the attics of townhouses or in dedicated workshops.

A notable feature of this process in the Netherlands was the use of specialized ‘wijn azijn’ barrels, often made from oak or chestnut wood. These barrels were generally smaller than those used for wine storage, and were designed to allow for increased surface contact between the liquid and air, an essential factor for promoting the oxidative fermentation. Some barrels even included removable lids or apertures to aid in this process. Markings such as WIJN AZIJN were occasionally inscribed or branded onto the barrels to denote their specific use, and to avoid contamination of wine or other liquids stored in similar casks.

Vinegar-making was sometimes part of the broader activities of brewers, distillers, or apothecaries, but it was also carried out at home. Housekeeping manuals of the period occasionally included vinegar recipes, indicating its domestic importance. The resulting vinegar ranged in quality and could be aged further to produce stronger or more refined varieties.

Delft, circa 1765

DIMENSIONS
Height: 11 cm. (4.3 in.)

NOTE
Traditionally, Delft models of high chairs and cradles, together with other nursery furnishings, were presented as gifts to mark engagements, weddings, or, most commonly, births. Their symbolism was clear and widely understood: these charming objects expressed hopes for prosperity, fertility, and the continuation of family lineage, while also celebrating the arrival of a child within the household. Such objects occupied a meaningful place within domestic interiors, where they functioned both as decorative pieces and as tangible expressions of familial affection.

Although produced over many decades and by several Delftware factories, nursery models of this type are well documented in historical records. A notable reference appears in the 1803 inventory of the Delft factory De Drie Posteleyne Astonne (The Three Porcelain Ash-Barrels), published in Van Aken-Fehmers 2001 (p. 222), which lists “7 vuurmantjes, 1 kintje in de wieg and 2 kinderen in de kakstoel” (“7 fire baskets, 1 child in the cradle, and 2 children in the high chair”). This entry confirms both the popularity of such figures and their recognized place within Delft’s production.

Combining tender domestic subject matter with technical refinement and lively polychrome decoration, Delft nursery models such as this one offer valuable insight into eighteenth-century child-rearing practices, symbolic gift culture, and the imaginative scope of Delft figural ceramics. They stand as eloquent testimonies to the ways in which everyday family life, sentiment, and craftsmanship were intertwined in the material culture of the Dutch Republic.

Delft, circa 1765

DIMENSIONS
Height: 11.6 cm. (4.6 in.)

NOTE
Traditionally, Delft models of high chairs and cradles, together with other nursery furnishings, were presented as gifts to mark engagements, weddings, or, most commonly, births. Their symbolism was clear and widely understood: these charming objects expressed hopes for prosperity, fertility, and the continuation of family lineage, while also celebrating the arrival of a child within the household. Such objects occupied a meaningful place within domestic interiors, where they functioned both as decorative pieces and as tangible expressions of familial affection.

Although produced over many decades and by several Delftware factories, nursery models of this type are well documented in historical records. A notable reference appears in the 1803 inventory of the Delft factory De Drie Posteleyne Astonne (The Three Porcelain Ash-Barrels), published in Van Aken-Fehmers 2001 (p. 222), which lists “7 vuurmantjes, 1 kintje in de wieg and 2 kinderen in de kakstoel” (“7 fire baskets, 1 child in the cradle, and 2 children in the high chair”). This entry confirms both the popularity of such figures and their recognized place within Delft’s production.

The present high chair further distinguishes itself through the inscription on the tray, which bears the affectionate phrase “Dag zoet kind” (“Hello sweet child”). This intimate detail enhances the object’s emotional resonance and underscores its role as a personal, commemorative gift rather than a purely ornamental figure.

Combining tender domestic subject matter with technical refinement and lively polychrome decoration, Delft nursery models such as this one offer valuable insight into eighteenth-century child-rearing practices, symbolic gift culture, and the imaginative scope of Delft figural ceramics. They stand as eloquent testimonies to the ways in which everyday family life, sentiment, and craftsmanship were intertwined in the material culture of the Dutch Republic.

Delft, circa 1760

Each marked P:V:M / 6 in blue for Petrus van Marum, the owner of De Romeyn (The Roman) factory from 1754 to 1764

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 28.2 & 29 cm. (11.1 & 11.4 in.)

PROVENANCE
Private Collection region Antwerp, Belgium;
Mak van Waay, September 16, 1975, lot no. 167;
Collection Ween & Klepman, Amsterdam in 1929

LITERATURE
Catalogue of the ‘Vereeniging van Handelaren in de Oude Kunst (VHOK)’, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1929, p. 110 and depicted as no. 517.

NOTE
This pair of polychrome Delft busts represents Prince William IV of Orange-Nassau (1711–1751) and Princess Anna of Hanover (1709–1759), a prominent eighteenth-century ruling couple whose political and dynastic importance made them frequent subjects of portraiture. Delft busts of identifiable sitters are rare, underscoring the significance of this pair and the technical ambition of the potters who created them.

Prince William IV, born in Leeuwarden, became Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe at the age of three and, in 1747, was proclaimed hereditary Stadtholder of all seven provinces, uniting the Dutch Republic under a single hereditary leader for the first time. His efforts to centralize administration and reform governance met with resistance from entrenched provincial interests, yet his brief rule strengthened the long-term position of the House of Orange-Nassau.

William married Princess Anna of Hanover in 1734, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Known in Dutch sources as Anna van Hannover, she brought strong dynastic ties and considerable intellectual influence. After William’s death in 1751, Anna served as regent for their son, the future William V, playing an active role in political decision-making, educational reform, and cultural patronage.

Depictions of the couple, including paintings, engravings, medallions, and rare Delftware busts such as the present examples, functioned as instruments of political representation. They emphasized William’s role as unifying stadtholder and Anna’s reputation as a capable and dignified regent. As such, this pair of busts offers both an expressive artistic portrayal and a material testament to their political and cultural significance in the eighteenth-century Dutch Republic.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Height 33.5 cm. (13.2 in.)

NOTE
This rare figural cistern, modeled as a jovial portly man known in Dutch as a Bobbejak, represents one of the most whimsical and technically ambitious creations of eighteenth-century Delft potters. In the Netherlands during this period, Delft workshops developed inventive table cisterns, large hollow figures fitted with a spout at the base, intended to dispense wine or gin during elaborate meals and celebrations. Placed prominently on banquet tables, such vessels served both a functional purpose and a theatrical one. The playful spectacle of liquor flowing from the belly or base of a rotund figure would have delighted guests while showcasing the potters’ imaginative skill and mastery of complex figural forms.

The bobbejak form reflects the period’s broader taste for humor, caricature, and figural ceramics, paralleling contemporary trends in German stoneware and English salt-glazed wares. Delft potters, however, adapted these impulses to local aesthetics, combining exaggerated modeling with the vibrant polychrome palette characteristic of Delftware. The floral motifs adorning the figure’s clothing and base link it to the wider Delft decorative tradition, while the exaggerated corpulence of the man underscores his association with abundance, festivity, and indulgence.

The term bobbejak is thought to derive from a playful nickname meaning “rascal” or “rogue,” and it came to designate this specific type of jovial wine or gin cistern. Although polychrome examples such as the present object are particularly striking, blue-and-white versions also exist. With their combination of function, humor, and sculptural presence, bobbejaks vividly embody the eighteenth century’s appetite for conviviality and spectacle at the dining table, standing today as exceptional expressions of Delft potters’ ingenuity and technical virtuosity.

Delft, circa 1740

DIMENSIONS
Height: 11.8 cm. (4.7 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Amsterdam

NOTE
This Delftware figure reflects the European fascination with Asia that developed in the seventeenth century and reached its height in the early eighteenth century. Driven by the activities of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), Asian goods such as porcelain, lacquer, and carved figures entered the Dutch Republic and inspired a wide range of artistic responses, from direct imitation to imaginative hybrid forms known as chinoiserie.

The figure is clearly inspired by Chinese prototypes. Shown wearing flowing robes and holding a shallow dish, he recalls types well known in China during the Kangxi period (1662–1722). Delft potters likely based their designs on Chinese figures in enameled biscuit porcelain from Jingdezhen, or on comparable sculptures carved in soapstone or wood. Such objects reached the Netherlands as early as the seventeenth century, initially as rare curiosities brought back by VOC employees or acquired by elite collectors. Their presence is documented, for example, in W. and J. Blaeu’s Nieuwe Atlas (1655), which includes an illustration of a seated Guanyin closely resembling contemporary Chinese sculpture.

From the late seventeenth century onward, the VOC imported increasing numbers of Chinese and Japanese figures, making them accessible to a wider audience. By the eighteenth century they had become established elements of the domestic interior, displayed on mantelpieces, cabinets, and shelves. Delft chinoiserie figures often closely follow their Asian models, suggesting that Chinese originals were used to create plaster molds by Delft vormers (shapers).

Delftware figures were produced in several variants: plain white-glazed examples, blue-and-white, polychrome, and red earthenware. The present polychrome decoration, with its vivid yellows, blues, and iron-red accents, reflects mid-eighteenth-century taste and the Delft factory’s confident adaptation of foreign models. Contemporary paintings and prints, such as Pieter Jansz. de Ruyven’s Schoorsteenstuk met aardewerk en papegaaien (1719) and Pieter van den Berge’s De namiddag (circa 1710), show comparable figures arranged as decorative accents within fashionable interiors.

Delft, circa 1720

DIMENSIONS
Height: 27 cm. (10.6 in.)

PROVENANCE
French Private Collection

NOTE
This unusual Delft figure represents Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, fertility, and festivity (equivalent to the Greek Dionysus). The nude male figure is shown in motion, modeled with one foot slightly forward on a round, raised pedestal. In both hands he holds clusters of blue grapes, the fruit most closely associated with Bacchus.

In the early eighteenth century, Europe witnessed a renewed fascination with the classical world, a movement nourished by Enlightenment ideals and the early stirrings of Neoclassicism. Mythological subjects became highly fashionable across the arts, and Bacchus in particular embodied themes of abundance, indulgence, and festivity, concepts that resonated strongly in Dutch banquet culture. Delft potters responded to this taste by producing both functional and decorative objects incorporating Bacchic imagery. From freestanding statuettes to jovial decorations on wine coolers and cisterns, Bacchus appeared as the embodiment of convivial pleasure and the delights of the table.

This figure of Bacchus appears to be unique; no other directly comparable Delft example is currently known. It can, however, be related in conception to other surviving Delft representations of classical deities. These include a polychrome Mercurius and Diana in the Kunstmuseum, The Hague (inv. no. 1059398); a blue-and-white Mercurius and Diana also in the Kunstmuseum (inv. no. 1059395); and a single polychrome Mercurius in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. no. BK-NM-13345). The Bacchus figure stands within this rare tradition of Delft sculptural works.