D2546. Pair of Polychrome Plaques

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.