Delft, circa 1710

Marked LVE 1 0 CB + in blue for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1691 to 1721 or his widow Margaretha Teckmann from 1721 to 1724

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 20.4 cm. (8 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
The front of this heart-shaped flower vase is painted with Flora, shown draped in flowing garments and holding a basket of fruit, surrounded by small floral sprigs and cross motifs that are repeated on the reverse. Her calm yet animated pose and the abundance of vegetal attributes identify her unambiguously as the Roman goddess of spring, flowers, and the renewal of nature.

Flora occupied a prominent position in the decorative repertory of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Delftware. Rooted in classical mythology, she was associated with seasonal regeneration, fecundity, and the cyclical rhythms of the natural world. These associations made her an especially appropriate subject for spouted flower vases, objects whose very function was to support and display freshly cut blooms. In this context, Flora’s presence operates both symbolically and conceptually: she personifies the life-giving forces that the vase was designed to showcase.

Her imagery resonated strongly with contemporary intellectual and cultural currents in the Dutch Republic. The period witnessed a growing fascination with botany, stimulated by scientific inquiry, the establishment of botanical gardens, and the influx of new and exotic plant species through global trade networks. Flowers became objects of study, prestige, and connoisseurship, and their cultivation was closely linked to social status and refined taste. Within this climate, Flora came to embody not only natural fertility but also the cultivated appreciation of nature as shaped by human knowledge and artistic sensibility.

On Delftware, and particularly on multi-spouted flower vases, Flora thus functions as a mediating figure between nature and art. Her classical origins lent intellectual authority and cultural prestige, while her floral attributes aligned her with contemporary horticultural interests. The depiction of Flora on this vase reflects the convergence of classical allegory, early modern botanical culture, and the aesthetic ambitions of Delft potters at the turn of the eighteenth century, transforming a functional object into a richly symbolic work of art.

Delft, circa 1780

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 29.8 and 40.2 cm. (11.7 and 15.8 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Maastricht;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
This garniture is firmly rooted in the tradition of Delftware sets that emerged in the Netherlands during the late seventeenth century, a period when the fashion for grouping vases on mantels, above doorways, or atop cabinets had become an established feature of elite interior decoration. Inspired initially by the arrival of Chinese porcelain through the VOC, these symmetrical arrangements evolved into a distinctly European phenomenon, with Delft potters producing their own interpretations. By the eighteenth century, the garniture had developed into standardized combinations, most commonly five pieces, combining covered vases with beakers in harmonious, coordinated designs.

The present set belongs to this mature phase of Delftware garniture production, when potters increasingly drew on European artistic movements to shape both form and decoration. Its molded cartouches, enriched with shell motifs, and the overall sense of movement in the design are characteristic of the rococo style, which had become fashionable across Europe by the mid-eighteenth century. This style encouraged asymmetrical curves, playful ornament, and a shift from exotic chinoiserie subjects to pastoral and romantic European scenes. The swan finials, an unusual choice within the Delft tradition, complement the rococo taste for naturalistic and graceful forms, while distinguishing the set from more common finial types such as foo dogs or birds with cherries.

In keeping with the historical role of such sets, this garniture would have been prominently displayed in a position of honor, its unified yet varied forms creating a rhythmic visual effect across a mantelpiece or cabinet cornice. The combination of octagonal shapes, rococo ornament, and European subject matter situates it within the broader decorative trends of its time, while still preserving the essential qualities that defined Delftware garnitures from their inception: symmetry, coordinated design, and the fusion of artistic style with the social function of display. Around the same time, interior designers transformed cabinet cornices from straight into serpentine. It was only logical that from about 1730–40, the next progression in this development would be the integration of wooden consoles into the cabinet cornices, the perfect stage for the presentation of a garniture.

Delft, circa 1770

Marked LPK in blue for De Porceleyne Lampetkan (The Porcelain Ewer) factory

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 35.5 and 49 cm. (14 and 19.3 in.)

PROVENANCE
Belgian Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
The history of De Lampetkan factory, one of Delft’s most storied ceramic workshops, begins in 1609, when Abraham Davidsz. Oosterhouck acquired a property named De Burcht van Leyden, which he transformed into a pottery. Over the course of the seventeenth century, the factory passed through the hands of several prominent owners, including Cornelis Harmesz. Valckenhoff, Claas Jansz. van Straten, and members of the Hoppesteyn and Van der Voorn families. By 1723, the enterprise entered a prosperous new chapter under the Van der Ceel family, known for their refined production and enduring influence in the Delftware industry.

Among the factory’s most prized creations are its blue and white garniture sets, jardinières, figurines and ornamental vases. De Lampetkan’s artistic repertoire also embraced the chinoiserie style that swept through European decorative arts in the eighteenth century. Around 1760, the factory produced a series of elegant figures representing Asian women. These figures, with their stylized poses and musical instruments, were often inspired by Chinese export porcelain of the Qianlong period (1736–1795), though interpreted through a distinctly Dutch lens. Delft artisans frequently adapted the original Chinese forms, enhancing them with intricate, imaginative surface decoration unconstrained by the symbolic meanings of the originals. The current garniture set shows that also European topics were part of the assortment as well.

Under the stewardship of the Van der Ceel family, the factory flourished. By the 1770s and 1780s, the business had expanded its infrastructure, acquiring shares in De Paauw mill and a clay washery, an investment that allowed them greater control over their raw materials and reduced dependence on intermediaries. This strategic expansion contributed to the sustained quality and innovation seen in De Lampetkan’s later production.

The standing shepherd and dog are from an etching and engraving by Johannes [de] Visscher (1633-92+) entitled A Herd Leaning on his Staff. Detail of engraving by Johannes [de] Visscher and illustrated in F.W.H. Hollstein’s Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Wood-cuts, Vol. XLI, 1992, p. 74, no. 106.

Delft, circa 1710

Both marked PAK No 7 in iron red for Pieter Adriaensz. Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1701 to 1703, or his widow Johanna van der Heul, the owner of the factory from 1703 to 1722

DIMENSIONS
Height: 19.8 cm. (7.8 in.)

NOTE
This pair of vases exemplifies the refined Delft interpretation of the Kakiemon style, one of the most influential decorative idioms adopted from Japanese porcelain in the early eighteenth century.

The Kakiemon style originated in Japan at the Arita kilns during the mid-seventeenth century and was exported to Europe via the port of Nagasaki. Unlike the densely ornamented Imari wares, Kakiemon porcelain was admired for its restrained compositions, asymmetrical placement of motifs, and the generous use of empty space. Typical elements include delicately rendered flowering plants, birds, and small animals, executed in a limited but luminous palette. These wares were highly prized in Europe and became an important source of inspiration not only for Delft potters but also for continental manufactories such as Meissen and Chantilly.

Delft potters began producing Kakiemon-inspired wares around the turn of the eighteenth century, adapting the Japanese aesthetic to tin-glazed earthenware and Western vessel forms. The present vases demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the Kakiemon vocabulary. Each vase is decorated with flowering branches and birds arranged in a deliberately open composition, allowing the white ground to function as an active visual element. This controlled sparseness stands in marked contrast to earlier Delft traditions of all-over decoration and reflects a conscious effort to emulate the elegance and refinement of Japanese originals.

Technically, the vases reflect the refined level of expertise reached in De Grieksche A factory by the early eighteenth century. The decoration is executed in the Kakiemon palette using the petit feu enamel technique. After the initial high-temperature firing of the tin glaze with blue, the iron-red, and pastel colored enamels were applied and fixed in a subsequent low-temperature firing. Gilding was introduced at this final stage, secured during the same petit feu firing, allowing for delicate placement and a soft, luminous finish. This carefully orchestrated sequence of firings underscores the technical sophistication of Delft potters around 1710 and their ability to translate Japanese Kakiemon aesthetics into the Delftware tradition, preserving the elegance of the prototypes while asserting a distinctly Delft sense of brushwork and surface.

Delft, circa 1710

Marked LVE 1 2 in blue for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1691 to 1721 or his widow Margaretha Teckmann from 1721 to 1724

DIMENSIONS
Height: 24 cm. (9.5 in.) 

NOTE
This vase is a characteristic example of Delftware produced under Lambertus van Eenhoorn’s direction and illustrates with particular clarity the so-called millefleur decorative mode that became closely associated with his tenure. The form, with its broad, rounded body, gently tapering neck, and slightly flaring mouth, reflects a well-established Delft interpretation of East Asian bottle shapes, offering an expansive surface ideally suited to dense, all-over ornamentation.

The vase is decorated in blue with a continuous millefleur pattern, composed of small, freely dispersed flowering plants, leafy sprays, and delicate tendrils that appear to float across the surface without a dominant central motif. This manner of decoration creates an impression of abundance and visual movement, dissolving hierarchical organization in favor of rhythmic repetition. Unlike panelled or narrative schemes, the millefleur pattern emphasizes surface unity, transforming the vase into a coherent ornamental whole rather than a carrier of discrete pictorial scenes.

Van Eenhoorn’s period of management is widely recognized as one of technical refinement and stylistic confidence within Delftware production. The millefleur decoration seen here is emblematic of his factory’s output and reflects a deliberate aesthetic shift toward patterns that foreground decorative richness and painterly finesse over narrative content. Under Van Eenhoorn, Delft potters demonstrated exceptional control of cobalt pigment, achieving subtle tonal variation and fluid brushwork that animate even the smallest floral elements.

The millefleur motif itself has its origins in Chinese porcelain, where scattered floral designs were employed to evoke natural abundance and seasonal vitality. In Delft, however, the motif was reinterpreted through a distinctly European lens. While inspired by Asian prototypes, Delft millefleur patterns tend to be less symbolically prescriptive and more decorative in intent, responding to Western tastes for surface complexity and visual density. The result is not a direct imitation but a hybrid ornamental language that bridges Chinese inspiration and Dutch decorative sensibilities.

Delft, circa 1700

Marked PK 2 in blue for Pieter Kam, owner of De Drie Posteleyne Astonne (The Three Porcelain Ash-Barrels) factory from 1700 until 1705 and thereafter used by his widow Maria Kam-van der Kloot until 1716

PROVENANCE
John F. Loudon Collection

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 53 and 40.2 cm. (20.9 and 15.8 in.)

NOTE
Founded in 1655 by Jeronimus Pietersz. van Kessel, De Drie Posteleyne Astonne factory was among the earliest Delftware manufactories established along the Geer in Delft. Known variously as De 3 Astonne, De 3 Vergulde Astonnekes, and De 3 Posteleyne Astonne (The Three [Gilded or Porcelain] Ash-Barrels), the factory played a significant role in the formative decades of Delft blue-and-white production. Following Van Kessel’s death in 1660, his widow managed the enterprise until 1667, when it was sold.

By 1673 the factory was jointly owned by Gerrit Pietersz. Kam (born 1652), admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in 1667, and Wouter van Eenhoorn. After Van Eenhoorn’s death in 1678, Kam assumed sole control and operated the factory independently from 1679 until 1700, when ownership passed to his eldest son, Pieter Gerritsz. Kam. In 1701 Gerrit Pietersz. Kam and his youngest son David became co-owners of De Paauw (The Peacock) factory. Both Gerrit and Pieter died in 1705, after which Pieter’s widow, Maria van der Kloot-Kam, continued to run De Drie Posteleyne Astonne through at least 1716, still employing her husband’s PK mark.

The present garniture set is notable for its early date, as fully developed garnitures were still relatively uncommon in Delft around 1700. Comprising a central covered vase flanked by two bottle-shaped vases, the ensemble reflects an emerging interest in coordinated display groups intended for architectural settings such as mantelpieces. The forms are robust yet carefully proportioned, with octagonal bases and swelling bodies that provide ample surfaces for painted decoration.

The decoration is executed in a dense blue and white palette, featuring a continuous all-over floral and vegetal pattern enlivened by birds in flight. Rather than relying on large narrative scenes, the painter opted for a richly filled surface, minimizing empty space in a manner consistent with late seventeenth-century Delft aesthetics and inspired by contemporary Chinese porcelain. The repetition of motifs across all three pieces reinforces the visual unity of the set, underscoring its function as a cohesive garniture rather than as individual objects.

Delft, circa 1695

Both marked LVE and IVB in blue for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1691 to 1721 and the IVB mark attributed to Jan van der Burgh, meesterknecht at De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1695 until 1697

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 52.7 cm.
(20.8 in.)

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Virginia, USA;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

LITERATURE
Aronson 2009, pp. 32-33, no. 16

NOTE
This pair of large octagonal bottle vases exemplifies the sophisticated use of European graphic sources in Delftware decoration during the final quarter of the seventeenth century. While Chinese porcelain offered an important stimulus for Delft painters, complex continuous scenes of this type were often assembled with the aid of prints, which provided transferable figure groups, landscape elements, and compositional frameworks comparable to those admired on Chinese Transitional wares.

Across the faceted bodies the decoration unfolds as a continuous narrative. A dignitary is shown enthroned between three men seated to his right, near a table arranged with various vessels. To his left, a lady approaches, accompanied by an attendant bearing a fan; she turns her head to glance back toward a seated and a standing figure by a river, with a small pavilion visible on the far bank. The careful staging of these groups, with secondary episodes set at the margins, suggests a print-derived compositional logic rather than a direct ceramic prototype.

The imagery appears to be inspired by seventeenth-century European travel literature on China, such as the illustrated publications of Johan Nieuhof and Olfert Dapper, or related travelogues and print series that circulated widely in the Dutch Republic. These sources offered Delft painters a rich visual repertory of imagined “Chinese” figure types, courtly scenes, and landscape motifs, which could be adapted and recombined to create complex narrative compositions on ceramic surfaces.

Rather than copying a single identifiable print, Delft painters frequently drew upon multiple graphic sources, selectively borrowing and reconfiguring motifs to suit the format of the object. Prints and drawings could be transferred onto the unfired tin glaze using stencils, papers pricked along the outlines, through which charcoal was dabbed to establish the basic contours before painting. Such practices underscore the interpretative nature of Delft chinoiserie, in which Asian subject matter was filtered through European print culture and artistic conventions, resulting in scenes evocative of China without claiming documentary accuracy.

Delft, circa 1695

Marked AK in blue for Adrianus Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1686 to 1701

DIMENSIONS
Height 28 cm. (11 in.)

NOTE
This flower vase represents an early and ambitious phase in the development of multi-spouted flower holders in Delft, produced around 1690 at the factory De Grieksche A under the direction of Adrianus Kocx. Vases of this type belong to the formative generation of Delft flower holders, when potters were experimenting with complex architectural forms designed to accommodate the fashionable display of cut flowers within domestic interiors.

The vase is constructed from stacked, bulbous elements rising from a faceted foot, with each tier pierced by short, projecting spouts arranged radially around the body and culminating in a central neck. This tiered construction reflects a modular approach to ceramic design, in which separately thrown and molded components were assembled into a unified sculptural form. Such structures allowed for the placement of individual flower stems at varying heights, creating a carefully orchestrated floral arrangement that emphasized symmetry and verticality.

The imagery draws upon Chinese decorative sources, mediated through late seventeenth-century European interpretations of porcelain decoration. The integration of birds and flowering plants within a continuous pictorial field enhances the organic relationship between the painted surface and the vase’s intended function as a flower holder.

Flower vases of this complexity emerged in Delft around the final decades of the seventeenth century, closely associated with the production of De Grieksche A, one of the most innovative and technically accomplished factories of the period. Under Adrianus Kocx, the factory played a central role in refining both the form and decoration of flower holders, responding to the growing demand for elaborate display objects that reflected contemporary tastes for symmetry, ornament, and botanical abundance.

Delft, circa 1690

Unidentifiably marked and numbered with a dashed O 10, attributed to Adrianus Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1686 to 1701

DIMENSIONS
Height 20.5 cm. (8 in.)

PROVENANCE
Belgian private collection;
Salomon Stodel, Amsterdam;
Collection Mrs. Richard Ernst;
Sotheby’s New York, 31 October 1981, lot no. 26

NOTE
This exceptionally rare Delft flower vase belongs to the celebrated tradition of multi-spouted flower holders produced in Delft from the 1680s until approximately 1740. Such vases were conceived to accommodate fashionable floral displays in which individual stems could be arranged separately, reflecting contemporary horticultural interests and the growing prestige of cut flowers within elite interiors of the Dutch Republic.

The earliest Delft flower vases of this type were relatively restrained in form. Known as quintel vases, they consisted of a compact body surmounted by a single fan-shaped row of five tubular spouts. These early examples, introduced in the late seventeenth century, already demonstrate the ingenuity of Delft potters in adapting ceramic forms to specific domestic uses. As demand increased and competition between factories intensified, the basic model was progressively elaborated. Additional rows of spouts were introduced, the bodies became more sculptural, and the silhouettes evolved into oval or heart-shaped profiles that offered greater visual impact and complexity.

The present vase represents an advanced stage in this development. It is distinguished by its double row of spouts, a feature encountered only rarely and indicative of experimental design within the Delft industry. The body has been transformed into a sculptural, heart-shaped form supported by a pedestal foot, and is flanked by striking salamander-shaped handles, a motif documented in the output of both De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) and De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factories. 

The salamander-shaped handles contribute an additional symbolic layer. In seventeenth-century emblematic thought, the salamander was believed to possess the ability to live in or withstand fire, making it a potent symbol of resilience, purity, and incorruptibility. The incorporation of such creatures on Delft flower vases may therefore be read not merely as decorative whimsy, but as an allusion to desirable moral and intellectual qualities, subtly reinforcing the vase’s status as a prestigious and meaningful object.

Delft, circa 1690

Marked AK No 8 in blue for Adrianus Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1686 to 1701

DIMENSIONS
Height: 24.5 cm. (9.7 in.)

NOTE
Covered ceramic vessels of varying shapes and styles became known in the Netherlands as gemberpotten, or ginger jars. The earliest documented use of this term appears in 1635 in Dutch ship inventories, where such jars are listed among transported goods, a usage discussed by Grasskamp and Wu (Vormen uit Vuur 232, 2016, p. 67). Although the name suggests a specific association with ginger, these containers were used far more broadly, holding items such as dried fruits, aromatic spices, and other valuable commodities.

Within Europe, lidded jars of this type gradually evolved from strictly utilitarian storage vessels into decorative objects appreciated for their form and painted ornament. Nonetheless, many examples undoubtedly continued to serve practical household functions alongside their aesthetic appeal.

This notably slender jar reflects the influence of seventeenth-century Transitional Chinese porcelain, whose elegant silhouettes and restrained decoration were widely admired in the Dutch Republic. Comparable forms are known from the Hatcher cargo, a mid-seventeenth-century shipwreck that yielded a significant group of Transitional porcelain and provides important evidence for the models that inspired early Delftware production.