A Dutch tin-glazed Tile, circa 1660-80
Finely painted in blue with a Dutch cargo boat under sail, the corners with ‘ox-head’ motifs. The boat is flying the Statenvlag (States flag), the red-white-blue naval flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic.
Tiles painted with nautical themes were enormously popular in Holland during the 17th century, not least of all because the Dutch were a sea-faring folk, exploring the globe and trading with other nations, particularly those in South-East Asia.
Provenance: An English Private Collection.
Condition: There is some chipping and glaze loss to the surface and edges, and wear and crazing to the glaze. Some of the cement originally used to hold the tile in place adheres to the reverse.
Dimensions: 12.6 cm x 12.6 cm
A Catalogue of English Delftware Tiles, compiled by Jonathan Horne (1980).
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).