D2554. Pair of Blue and White 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

NOTE
Delft flower baskets, designed for floral arrangements, have been part of the assortment of Delft potteries since the second half of the seventeenth century. Some factories even employed specialists dedicated exclusively to the production of these so-called bennetjes. Several dated examples indicate that such baskets were often presented as gifts for special occasions, highlighting their role as both functional and decorative objects. Notably, many royal collections feature Delft flower baskets, including those in the Royal Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn.

This mid-eighteenth-century pair, with its intended use indicated on the bottom, demonstrates that flower arranging in ceramic baskets was still occasionally practiced at that time. However, given the limited number of surviving examples from the eighteenth century, it is likely that the peak of this tradition occurred in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. The intricate craftsmanship required to create such a finely open worked basket, combined with its refined painting, suggests that this pair was produced by a highly skilled artisan.