A Dutch Delft Vase, circa 1670
This Dutch Delft octagonal bottle vase, with its tall neck and flared foot, is painted in shades of blue with figures in a landscape. An old man carries a bundle of sticks over his left shoulder, whilst supporting himself on a cane in his right hand. Two other men can be seen wading into a river. A fourth man carries an unidentified object. A border of stylised lappets surrounds the foot, and the tall neck is painted with stylised tulips. The shoulder is decorated with a band of flower heads.
The painting and subject matter is based on that found on Chinese blue and white ‘transitional’ porcelain of the late Ming period, around the mid-17th century.
Condition: No cracks or restoration, just typical chips to the fragile tin-glazed body surrounding the rim and the foot, including a 1 cm flat chip at the top of the neck. There are also several pinholes to the body which occurred during the firing process.
Dimensions: Height 27 cm
Delftware: The Tin-glazed Earthenware of the British Isles, Michael Archer (V&A/HMSO, 1997).
English Delftware, F.H. Garner and Michael Archer (Faber & Faber, 1972).