Each marked in blue with an axe for De Porceleyne Byl (The Porcelain Axe) factory

Both painted in the center with a scaly herring within a border of leaves and scrolls on the scalloped and barbed edge of the chamfered rectangular rim.

DIMENSIONS
Lengths: both 23.3 cm. (9.2 in.)

PROVENANCE
The Kitty Valkier-Schreurs Collection, Belgium;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

LITERATURE
Described and illustrated in Aronson 2019, pp. 144-145, no. 73

NOTE
DHerring dishes are a longstanding part of the Dutch tradition of herring consumption, where herring is typically served with chopped raw onions and pickles. The Dutch have been eating herring for over a millennium, initially fishing for personal use. However, around the year 1000, commercial herring fishing emerged, spurred by the abundance of herring shoals in the North Sea. Coastal fishing villages quickly developed, taking advantage of this accessible resource. One of the key innovations in the Dutch herring industry was the preservation method called
“gibbing” (Dutch: haringkaken), invented in the late fourtheenth century by Dutch fisherman Willem Beukelszoon. This process involved removing the gills and some internal organs, while leaving the pancreas intact to aid in curing the fish. This method significantly extended the shelf life of the herring, enabling large-scale fishing and export throughout Europe. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, herring fishing became a major economic driver for the Netherlands. In the early seventeenth century, the Dutch herring fleets comprised an estimated 770 ships, far outnumbering the 150 to 200 ships involved in whaling during the same period.

Despite being called raw herring, the dish is not actually raw. The herring is first frozen and then salted for several days to allow it to ripen (producing soused herring). This process made herring not only nutritious but also affordable, with a long shelf life when stored in salted barrels, making it a valuable winter food source.

Delftware herring dishes were common in Dutch kitchens. In addition to a series of plates depicting the journey from herring catch to consumer, various types of herring dishes were produced. These dishes were often shaped like fish or designed in oval or rectangular forms, decorated with images of herring.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The photographs shows a typical Dutch landscape plaque painted by Frederik van Frijtom (circa 1632 – 1702). Van Frijtom trained to be an easel painter, but he primarily painted earthenware, translating his drawings of the Dutch countryside onto faience. Interestingly, Van Frijtom was one of the rare independent pottery painters in Delft. He received the guild’s permission to work on his own, rather than being employed by one of the potteries. This permission was only granted to artisans who were disabled, who could only work in the privacy of their own studio, or who possessed technical secrets.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The photographs shows a typical Dutch landscape plaque painted by Frederik van Frijtom (circa 1632 – 1702). Van Frijtom trained to be an easel painter, but he primarily painted earthenware, translating his drawings of the Dutch countryside onto faience. Interestingly, Van Frijtom was one of the rare independent pottery painters in Delft. He received the guild’s permission to work on his own, rather than being employed by one of the potteries. This permission was only granted to artisans who were disabled, who could only work in the privacy of their own studio, or who possessed technical secrets.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The still life shows a composition of a pair of late seventeenth-century blue and white pyramidal flower vases.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The still life shows a composition of a pair of late seventeenth-century blue and white pyramidal flower vases.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The vanitas still life shows a composition of a pair of  seventeenth-century pilgrims bottles, a late seventeenth-century wine cooler, a pair of early eighteenth-century salt cellars, an early eighteenth-century monteith, a pair of early eighteenth-century candlesticks and a seventeenth-century pierced bowl.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The vanitas still life shows a composition of a pair of  seventeenth-century pilgrims bottles, a late seventeenth-century wine cooler, a pair of early eighteenth-century salt cellars, an early eighteenth-century monteith, a pair of early eighteenth-century candlesticks and a seventeenth-century pierced bowl.

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The still life shows a composition of a set of Delftware figural cistern, a pair of candlesticks, a flower vase and a puzzle jug. 

This photograph was commissioned by Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam with Delftware objects from the collection.

The still life shows a composition of a set of Delftware figural cistern, a pair of candlesticks, a flower vase and a puzzle jug.