Dutch « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Posts Tagged ‘Dutch’

Delft jug with pewter lid, c.1690

Sunday, June 6th, 2021

I purchased this ovoid Dutch Delft blue & white earthenware jug from a dealer last year because I loved the stylized decoration and the unusual inventive repair. It has a slightly flared neck, blue & white Chinoiserie decoration, and a scroll handle. Jug was made in Holland in the late 1600s.

The pewter lid with a patch to cover the missing spout is one I have not seen before. I assumed that liquids would not pour well from this damaged vessel, but was pleasantly surprised how well the water flowed. I guess that the tinker or whoever did the repair over 150 years ago knew what they were doing.

Here’s another jug with similar form and decoration, but without damage. I prefer mine over this “perfect” example.

Photo courtesy of Anticstore

Tags:blue & white, delft, Dutch, earthenware, pewter
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Delft floral plate, c.1700s

Sunday, October 11th, 2020

I found this colorful tin glazed earthenware pottery plate at a shop in Amsterdam about 6 years ago. It was made in the Netherlands in the 1700s and has stylized floral decoration in polychrome enamels of green, orange, and blue on a white ground. It measures 9 inches in diameter.

After the plate broke, well over 200 years ago, it was repaired most likely by an itinerant repairer. Holes were drilled on either side of the crack and multiple strands of thin brass wire were looped through the holes. The remaining spaces were filled with plaster or a binder of some sort. This is a variation on staple/rivet repairs in which holes are drilled part way through and small metal clamps are secured to the broken pieces. I have found many repairs like these predominantly in Northern France, Brussels, and the Netherlands.

Similar plate with similar crack is in the permanent collection at the Detroit Institute of Art.

Photo courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts

Tags:delft, Dutch, earthenware, pottery, staples/rivets, tin glaze, wire
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Delft teapot with metal handle, c.1720

Sunday, October 14th, 2018

This Dutch (or perhaps English?) globular form tin-glazed earthenware teapot, dates to around 1720. It is decorated with hand painted flowers and birds in glazes of blue, red, and green on a white ground and measures 5 inches high and 7.25 inches wide from handle to spout.

Over 150 years ago, its original loop handle was replaced with a slightly more elaborate metal replacement handle with thumb rest. More recently, red string was added to keep the handle and lid from going their separate ways.

This teapot of similar form and decoration suggests what the original handle on mine might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of The Fitzwilliam Museum

Tags:Dutch, globular, metal handle, porcelain
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Early Delft vase, c.1680

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

I believe this Dutch or German Delft vase to be the earliest piece in my collection. It is made of tin-glazed earthenware and decorated with a blue & white Chinese motif, as were most European ceramic pieces dating from the 17th and 18th centuries

Time has not been kind to this very heavy vase, which stands 10-1/2″ tall, but it must have been cherished by its owners over the past 330 years or so. It has survived the loss of its original base and bears the battle scars of large chips and cracks, restored many years after it was first made

It now stands on a wobbly, cracked wooden base, painted blue and white to match the body of the vase. Unfortunately, the painted surface has become unstable, flaking each time the vase is touched

Tags:blue & white, Dutch, pottery, tin glaze, wood base
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Chinese export miniatures, c.1690

Friday, March 12th, 2010

A pair of Chinese export porcelain dollhouse miniatures with blue underglaze decoration from the Kangxi period (1662-1722) with Dutch hallmarked silver mounts from the mid-1800’s.

Once the neck broke off this vase, it became a ewer, standing 2″ high with its replacement handle and spout.

A tiny Dutch hallmark in the shape of a sword can be seen on the bottom of the replaced silver neck. Between the years 1814 and 1905, sword marks were used on pieces too small to accommodate full hallmarks.