Each marked LVE 0 2 in blue for Lambertus van Eenhoorn, the owner of De Metaale Pot (The Metal Pot) factory from 1691 until 1721, or his widow Margaretha Teckmann from 1721 to 1724

Each modeled as a seated Budai Heshang, wearing a robe loosely draped to reveal his corpulent belly and patterned with florets, sprigs and leafy stems, from his head emerges the spout painted with floral sprigs and an openwork rim.

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 10.1 cm. (4 in.)

PROVENANCE
The Peter Van Slyke Collection, U.S.A.;
Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, 3 December 2002, lot 1

NOTE
A The Budai Heshang, often referred to as the “Laughing Buddha,” is a prominent figure in Chinese culture and religion, particularly within Chinese Buddhism. Historically, Budai was a semi-legendary monk who lived during the late Tang (618–907) or early Song (960–1279) dynasty. His name, meaning “cloth sack,” derives from the bag he carried, which symbolized his generosity as he distributed food and gifts to the poor. Budai is considered a manifestation of Maitreya, the future Buddha, and his image
represents themes of contentment, abundance, and happiness.

Budai is traditionally depicted as a cheerful, corpulent figure with a large exposed belly, symbolizing wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. His jovial demeanor and informal posture contrast with the solemn representations of traditional Buddhas, emphasizing accessibility and joy. Over time, his image transcended its religious context, becoming a
universal symbol of happiness and prosperity in both East Asian and global cultures.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the rise of European trade with China through the Dutch East India Company (VOC), Budai figurines became highly sought-after in Europe as part of the fascination with exotic goods and Chinese culture. Delft potters, inspired by Chinese porcelain, adopted the Budai Heshang figure into their
repertoire, producing seated Budai figures with their characteristic smiling expressions and ample bellies. In Delftware, these figures were often adapted stylistically to suit European tastes, combining traditional Chinese iconography with the decorative artistry of Dutch ceramics.

The Budai Heshang in Delftware highlights the blending of cultural motifs and the adaptation of Asian artistic themes into European decorative arts, underscoring the global interconnectedness of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These Delft interpretations of Budai often emphasize his cheerful demeanor and iconic belly while incorporating Delft’s signature blue-and-white or polychrome decoration, showcasing the unique fusion of Asian inspiration and Dutch craftsmanship.

With their high intelligence and their humanlike behavior in which we can recognize our own, monkeys and apes were either loved or hated. In art, from the fourteenth throughout the seventeenth century, monkeys were not so much targets of ridicule themselves, but were used to point out the idiocies of human endeavor. Once established as the rage in France, where its satirical freedom, its insouciance and its playful exoticism were so akin to the court culture, singerie spread rapidly around Europe. However, with few exceptions, it did not have the same fashionable effect in ceramic representations. Even in Holland, where the more jocular population was willing to laugh at its own foibles, the most popular figures produced at the Delft factories were more representative of familiar daily life than of élitist pursuits, a theme underlying singerie. This is what makes the present figures so rare and unusual, establishing them as one of the very few examples of singerie in Delftware.

Condition

• One with a repair to base leg
• One with a repair to tip of foot, hand and pipe

The blue and white oval plaque, from circa 1740, was made in Amsterdam. It is painted with a merry company playing music and enjoying wine. A fashionable lady is seated between a man playing a violin from a musical score and a gesticulating lady who is holding another score. They are seated at a cloth-covered table, set with a wine glass and bottle on a tray. Although the interior is composed of a typical Dutch checkered tile floor, it lacks a Dutch feel because of the draped wall supporting a colonnade before a classical building in the distance. The earthenware painter was probably inspired by classical landscapes, rather than realistic Northern European interiors. Interestingly, the decoration on the plaque combines music and wine, which was a frequent combination in paintings and often signifies seduction. Of course, the relationship between music and love has long existed in art, and the use of musical harmony as a metaphor for harmony between two lovers was common. Perhaps the gentleman and a lady in the scene are in an amorous relationship, as suggested by the music making and the bottle of wine. However, these scenes do not always contain a hidden message, and many times the meanings are lost today.

An engraving after a painting by Adriaen van Ostade was the inspiration for this lively scene. Two different print sources may have served as models for the Delft artist: the etching of ‘The Country-Fair’ by Joannes Visscher and ‘Peasant Couple Dancing in Front of an Inn,’ by Willem de Broen. The Delft artists were masters of adaptation. The scene on this plaque, more frequently found painted in the horizontal shape of the print, is painted vertically. The painter has also cleverly transformed the exterior scene to an interior setting by adding a tile floor and drapery at the top.

Condition

• Rim abrasions

Provenance
The Anton F. Philips (1874-1951) Collection, Eindhoven, and thence by family descent

Condition

• Repaired chip to tip of spout and spout tip of cover