Aronson Antiquairs of Amsterdam

Preview TEFAF Maastricht 2009

Welcome to the preview page of our presentation at The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) Maastricht 2009.

This year we will be bringing our strongest and most diverse collection yet, accompanied by another publication in our series; ‘Dutch Delftware, including selections from a distinguished Manhattan collector.’ In the 128-year history of our ﬁrm, it has never happened before that at one moment, and in this instance in one publication, we could present to you, amongst other remarkable pieces: a pair of 'tulip vases,' a single 'tulip vase' of a heretofore unknown model, 73.7 cm. (29 in.) high, three 'Black Delftware' objects from the estimated 120 'Black Delftware' pieces that have survived the hand of time, and an entire roster of rare and previously unseen eighteenth-century ﬁgures and groups.

At TEFAF 2008 (March 8-9) the International Herald Tribune wrote: “In case anyone still thinks of antique dealers as being quaint and old-fashioned, that image will be quickly dispelled by an encounter with Robert Aronson ... nothing old-fashioned about him, except perhaps his courtly manners.” In that tradition of modernity the publication will be available in Flash, through this website, before the opening of TEFAF. You will be able to ‘flip the pages’ in your browser.

In the beginning of the seventeenth century there was a great demand for tulips in Holland. Prices were extremely high and this resulted in heavy speculations in tulip bulbs, the so-called 'Tulipomania'. By the third quarter of the seventeenth century, faience ‘Bloemenvaezen’ (flower vases) were being made in Delft and are mentioned in several inventory lists. The name 'tulip vase' has been given to these vases on the supposition that they were intended specifically to hold the precious and popular tulips, but in the seventeenth and eighteenth century they actually were filled with all varietiesof cut flowers. The grandest of these vases were the 'flower pyramids' made predominantly for the Dutch and English court of King William III (1650-1702) and Queen Mary II (1662-1694), and the Aronson 2009 collection includes such an example: the monumental tiered oval flower vase from Drayton House (Northamptonshire). The collection also includes a pair of pyramidal vases, by repute from the collection of Sir William Jolliffe (1660-1749), an ardent supporter of King William III, which, painted with allegorical figures of the 'Four Seasons', owes its inspiration in part to the influential ornamental prints of the court designer, Daniel Marot (1661-1752).

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, when the taste for the exotic thrived, a rare group of Dutch Delftware was produced with a black glaze. This so-called 'Black Delftware' was inspired by Oriental and subsequent European lacquer wares as well as the Chinese ‘famille noire’ porcelain from the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Two techniques to produce this rare form of decoration can be distinguished. In the first, the pieces were fired initially with a layer of white tin glaze and applied with polychrome enamels before theblank areas around the decoration were filled in with a black glaze. Most marked objects belonging to this category were made in De Grieksche A (The Greek A) Factory during the ownership of Pieter Kocx from 1701 to 1703, or his widow Johanna van der Heul from 1703 to 1722. In the second technique, the pieces were covered completely in a black glaze and then the enameldecoration was applied onto the black ground itself. Marked objects from this category were produced mainly by De Metale Pot (The Metal Pot) Factory, owned by Lambertus van Eenhoorn from 1691 to 1721 or 1724. The color palette of the enamels included blue, green, red, yellow and white, and the color scheme could be either polychrome or monochrome yellow-ochre. In the latter case this goldish-yellow color imitated gilded lacquer, largely from Japan, or ‘famille noire’ porcelain from China. To emphasize the Oriental appeal of 'Black Delftware', the decoration variously included floral chinoiseries with chrysanthemum branches and perched birds or Oriental gardens or landscapes. Seventeenth-century travel accounts by Olfert Dapper and Johann Nieuhoff also have proved to be important graphic sources for figural chinoiseries.

Below you will find a sample of items in our collection, click on the link for a high resolution image.

The images on this page are for public relation purpose. These images may be downloaded and published with at least the following text clearly linked to the image: ‘Collection Aronson Antiquairs Amsterdam,’ but they may not be altered or cut in any way. Please inform us by e-mailing aronson@aronson.com about ‘when’ and ‘where’ you will use the image. Thank you !

A collection of blue and white flower vases

Dutch Delftware, circa 1690-1720

Various marks, including those of Adriaen Kocx for De Grieksche A (The Greek A) Factory and of Lambertus van Eenhoorn for De Metale Pot (The Metal Pot) Factory

Heights 20.4 to 73.7 cm. (8 to 29 in.)

Blue and White Large Oval Flower Vase

Delft, circa 1690-1700

The two largest bowls marked AK in blue for Adriaen Kocx, the owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) Factory from 1686 until 1701, and incised on the largest bowl I, and on the central bowl 2.

Height: 73.7 cm. (29 in.); width: 53 cm. (20 7/8 in.)