Amsterdam, circa 1770

Each marked GDG in manganese or blue on the yoke for Gerrit de Graaf, a tile painter at d’Oude Prince (The Old Prince) factory

DIMENSIONS
Height: 14 cm. (5½ in.); length: 20.9 and 21.6 cm.
(8¼ and 8½ in.)

PROVENANCE
Belgian Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam;
Dutch Private Collection

NOTE

Gerrit de Graaf was a painter at d’ Oude Prins (The Old Prince) factory, a tile manufactory located on the Anjeliersstraat in Amsterdam. He began working as an apprentice around 1745, and from 1770 onward he possibly managed the painting department. Characteristic of his style were the blue and manganese color scheme and his slightly nervous (kriebelig) execution, identifiable through the several pieces that are known bearing his monogram or his complete signature. Although most of his work was on tiles, he also painted molded objects, such as a tray dated 1779, in the Musée national de Céramique, Sèvres (inv. no. MNC 1931), and a butter tub in the form of a female figure, dated 1770, and illustrated in Van Dam 1999, p. 45, no. 23, which, with both the artist’s monogram and complete signature is a key piece for attributions to Gerrit de Graaf. There are five pairs and a single figure of recumbent cows known and attributed to d’ Oude Prins factory based on the pair in De Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis in Brussels (inv. no. L. 334 a,b), which is signed by Adam Sybel, who, like De Graaf, also was a tile painter at d’ Oude Prins factory. There are no known Amsterdam milking groups. However, in the eighteenth century the tile factories in Amsterdam did produce molded objects on a small scale, so it is possible that this pair of milking groups was indeed the product of d’Oude Prins. Although these groups do show signs of handwork, they clearly were made in a mold based on Delft models. The important differences between the Amsterdam and Delft cows, are in the color palette, and in the body shapes: the Amsterdam cows being more naturalistically modeled than the more stylized Delft cows.

In spite of a strong argument for this pair of milking groups having been produced in Amsterdam, their origin is still uncertain, although it was not likely to be in one of the Delft facrtories. They may have been created in the Blankenburg tile factory in Amsterdam, which was discontinued in 1764, and from whom Pieter van der Kloet, the owner of d’ Oude Prins, may have bought the molds. Alternatively the groups may have been made in the Blankenburg factory and painted there by De Graaf, where he may have learned his skill as a painter before being employed at d’ Oude Prins.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 13.6 cm. (5.4 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection

NOTE
Dutch Delftware was produced in an extraordinary variety over the centuries, ranging from the purity of plain white glaze to the brilliance of richly polychrome decoration. For a long time, art historians regarded Delfts wit, white Delftware, as primarily functional, yet delicate figures such as this pair demonstrate that plain white faience could also serve a decorative purpose. Delft potters produced figures of both animals and people in the color of the white tin glaze alone, without further decoration, to be displayed as table ornaments or in a cabinet, sometimes alongside Chinese porcelain.

Faience with an undecorated white tin glaze was first made in Italy around 1550, known as bianchi di Faenza. Initially large dishes and vessels, these wares developed into more modest forms made in series for affordable everyday use. By around 1600, Dutch potteries began producing white faience, each with its own blend of raw materials that produced shades ranging from grey and blue to yellow, green, or even pink. Most white Delftware was made for the domestic market and is rarely marked or dated.

Research continues into whether some white-glazed and unpainted groups were cold-painted after production, perhaps by decorators outside the factory, with the unfired decoration later lost or intentionally removed. It is also possible that certain white-glazed figures were intended from the outset as less costly alternatives to painted wares. Although simpler to produce than blue or polychrome Delftware, white undecorated objects were initially affordable only to the upper class. By the end of the seventeenth century, white Delftware had become more common, with factories producing larger quantities of kitchenware for daily use alongside decorative objects of figures and animals for display on the mantelpiece.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Height: 12.7 cm. (5 in.); Width: 17.8 cm. (7 in.)

PROVENANCE
Private collection, Dresher, Pennsylvania;
Dutch private collection before 1949 and transferred to the United States after 1949 and retained within the same family collection thereafter

NOTE
Animal figures occupy a distinctive place within the eighteenth-century Delftware repertoire, often described as a ceramic menagerie. Birds, dogs and pastoral animals were produced as decorative objects for mantelpieces, cabinets and console tables, reflecting contemporary fascination with the natural world as well as the ornamental ambitions of Delft’s potteries. These figures were valued less for anatomical accuracy than for their vitality, charm and symbolic resonance within the domestic interior.

Within this menagerie, horses form a comparatively rare and technically demanding group. Their complex modelling and extended limbs posed significant challenges in both shaping and firing, which may account for their limited production. In European visual culture of the period, the horse carried strong associations with nobility, military prowess and controlled movement, lending such figures a heightened symbolic status among Delftware animals.

The menagerie tradition drew upon multiple sources: engravings, sculptural prints, porcelain figures from Meissen and other German manufactories, and the broader ornamental vocabulary of Baroque and Rococo interiors. Delftware animals, however, retain a distinct character. Softly rounded forms and lively hand-painted decoration emphasize decorative appeal over sculptural realism. The present horses exemplify this approach, combining animated prancing poses with a refined polychrome palette that integrates them seamlessly into the broader Delftware aesthetic.

As with many animals in the Delft menagerie, the model circulated across several factories, marked and unmarked, suggesting shared molds and sustained market demand. This repetition should not be seen as a lack of originality, but rather as evidence of a successful and recognizable type within Delft’s commercial and artistic ecosystem. Seen within the context of the Delftware menagerie, these horses stand as refined examples of how eighteenth-century Delft transformed animal subjects into elegant and enduring ornaments.

Delft, circa 1775

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 12 cm. (4.7 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam;
The Van der Vorm Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam, 1993;
The collection of A.Vromen Jr., Doetinchem

LITARTURE
Aronson 2019, pp. 114-115, no. 58

NOTE
From the mid-eighteenth century onward, Delft potters produced a wide variety of animal figures intended purely for decoration, reflecting changing tastes in interior design. This development grew out of a tradition established in the late seventeenth century, when Delftware, particularly blue-and-white wares, became fashionable among elite patrons such as Queen Mary II, consort of King-Stadholder William III. By the eighteenth century, Delft factories expanded their repertoire to include more polychrome objects, often modeled as domestic and farm animals, which appealed to a broader clientele unable or unwilling to invest in more costly German porcelain.

The production of such figures was technically complex and labor-intensive. A skilled modeler first created a prototype in wood or clay, from which molds were cast. Thin sheets of clay were shaped within the molds, then joined together with clay paste before firing and glazing. Pairs such as this were intended for symmetrical display on mantelpieces, in glass-fronted cabinets, or on étagères, often as part of larger decorative ensembles. While early models drew heavily on Chinese porcelain prototypes, Delft painters adapted the palette, favoring colors such as the distinctive aubergine-purple seen here. By the third quarter of the eighteenth century, European porcelain factories, particularly Höchst under Johannes Zeschinger—also provided inspiration for both subject matter and color schemes, aided by the movement of German and French craftsmen to the Netherlands.

In an agricultural society like the Netherlands, farm animals were a natural subject for Delftware figures, and goats were among the popular motifs alongside horses, cows, and dogs. Such figures not only reflected everyday rural life but also reveal the Delft potters’ ability to blend charm, craftsmanship, and the influence of international ceramic trends into decorative objects for fashionable eighteenth-century interiors.

Delft, circa 1760

Marked in blue with an unidentified X on the base.

DIMENSIONS
Height: 11 cm. (4.3 in.);
Length: 15 cm. (5.9 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Maastricht;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
This pair of recumbent Delftware cows represents a distinct variant within the broader group of eighteenth-century Delft cow models. Unlike standing examples, which emphasize verticality and display, these figures are shown resting on the ground, their bodies compact and their poses more contained. The recumbent posture introduces a quieter, more introspective character, distinguishing the group from both ceremonial and active representations of cattle.

Despite this difference in pose, the recumbent cows share key features with standing Delftware examples. They are conceived as a mirrored pair, turned toward one another to create a balanced and self-contained composition. The floral garlands draped across their backs and necks remain an essential decorative element, visually linking them to other cow models produced in Delft during this period. Yellow horns further reinforce this continuity, marking the figures as decorative objects rather than naturalistic studies.

The modeling of the recumbent cows differs subtly but significantly. The lowered body and bent legs require a broader base, resulting in a more horizontal emphasis. This shift affects the visual rhythm of the figures, drawing attention to the contours of the animals’ backs and flanks rather than their stance. The pose also allows for a more expansive treatment of surface decoration, with floral motifs unfolding across the body in a continuous, flowing pattern.

Within the wider Delftware repertoire, recumbent cows appear less frequently than standing examples, suggesting a deliberate variation rather than a standard type. Their restrained posture and compact form introduce an alternative interpretation of the cow motif, one that complements but does not replicate other models. Together with standing cows and milking groups, the recumbent pair demonstrates the flexibility with which Delft potters explored a single subject, adapting pose and composition while maintaining a recognizable visual language.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 20 cm. (7.9 in.);
Lengths: 24.5 cm. (9.7 in.)

PROVENANCE
Belgian Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
Animal figures constitute a distinctive and evocative category within the Delftware tradition, and cow groups in particular occupy a cherished place in Dutch material culture. Produced from the early eighteenth century onward, Delftware cows adorned mantelpieces, window sills, and cupboards in both urban and rural homes, reflecting the central role of dairy farming in the Netherlands. These groups were typically made in pairs, each cow gently turning its head inward and often accompanied by a milker or milkmaid to evoke scenes of everyday agricultural life.

In most Delft examples, the attendants are placed on opposite sides of the cows so that both figures remain visible when the pair is displayed together. The present pair, however, is unusual in that both milkers sit on the right side of their respective cows. This deliberate arrangement mirrors authentic Dutch dairy practice: cows are generally milked from the same side, most often the right, to maintain consistency, minimize stress, and ensure higher productivity. This adherence to real agricultural technique sets the pair apart as a particularly accurate and thoughtful representation of historical milking routines.

Delftware cow groups thus provide more than decorative appeal. They convey a nostalgic yet informed glimpse into the rhythms of rural Dutch life, capturing both the charm of pastoral imagery and the realities of farm labor. Their enduring popularity reflects not only their delightful modeling and polychrome decoration but also their role as material witnesses to the agricultural heritage that shaped the social and economic fabric of the early modern Netherlands.

Delft, circa 1770

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 14.2 cm. (5.5 in.

PROVENANCE
American Private Collection;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam, 2001;
The Van der Vorm Collection, The Netherlands;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

LITERATURE
Aronson 2000/2001;
Abraham & Aronson
2010, pp. 32-33;
Aronson 2021, pp. 76-77, no. 52 

NOTE
Birds have occupied a prominent place in Western visual culture for centuries, appearing variously as symbols, ornamental motifs, and objects of scientific inquiry. Their meanings have shifted across time and place: in seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting birds often carried sexual connotations, linked to the verb vogelen, while in medieval manuscripts they served primarily decorative functions within marginal borders. From the early sixteenth century onward, however, birds increasingly became the subject of empirical study, stimulated by voyages of discovery and the emergence of illustrated natural histories.

These bird-form tureens belong to a long tradition of zoomorphic tableware in Delftware, where potters translated both familiar and exotic avian forms into sculptural vessels. By the mid-eighteenth century, dining à la Française had become the dominant mode of elite table service across Europe. Under this system, entire courses were displayed symmetrically on the table, encouraging the use of visually striking serving vessels. Delft factories responded by producing an expanded range of decorative tablewares, including tureens modeled as animals, which functioned as both utilitarian objects and conversation pieces.

The origins of such forms lie in the late medieval and early modern tradition of savory pies, elaborate culinary showpieces often shaped from pastry and filled with meat or poultry. These pies were frequently presented with feathers, heads, and tails intact, emphasizing spectacle as much as sustenance. As ceramic tableware increasingly replaced edible display pieces in the eighteenth century, trompe l’œil tureens offered a refined substitute, evoking the visual drama of the earlier pies without the need to sacrifice an entire animal.

Delft bird tureens range from representations of common domestic fowl to imaginative renderings inspired by exotic species known through trade, prints, and natural history illustrations. Their appeal lay in the combination of naturalistic modeling, vibrant coloration, and the enduring fascination with birds as creatures poised between the terrestrial and the aerial.

Delft, circa 1760

Each marked GVS in blue for Geertruij Verstelle, the owner of Het Oude Moriaanshooft (The Old Moor’s Head) factory from 1761 to 1769

DIMENSIONS
Heights: 13.5 cm. (5.3 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Amsterdam

NOTE
This pair of duck-form tureens is marked for Geertruij Verstelle, proprietor of the Delft factory Het Oude Moriaanshooft (The Old Moor’s Head) between 1761 and 1769. Verstelle belongs to a small yet significant group of women who assumed ownership and managerial responsibility within the Delft pottery industry during the eighteenth century, often following the death of a spouse but operating with considerable independence and commercial acumen.

During Verstelle’s tenure, Het Oude Moriaanshooft produced a range of finely modeled and richly colored wares that demonstrate both technical competence and a clear sensitivity to contemporary fashion. The present duck tureens exemplify this production: their carefully articulated bodies, textured plumage, and alert heads reflect the Rococo taste for naturalism and visual play, while the oval bases evoke nest-like forms that enhance the illusionistic effect. The vibrant palette of blues, greens, yellows, and manganese outlines further underscores the painterly ambitions of the workshop.

The popularity of zoomorphic tureens in the mid-eighteenth century formed part of a broader European fascination with trompe l’œil ceramics, stimulated by innovations in Meissen porcelain and by the continued influx of Chinese export wares during the Qianlong period (1736–1795). Delft factories responded by translating these fashionable forms into Delftware, adapting international models to local materials and traditions. In comparison with their porcelain counterparts, Delft examples such as these are distinguished by their robust modeling, expressive surfaces, and distinctive polychrome decoration.

Seen within this context, the duck tureens stand as characteristic products of Het Oude Moriaanshooft under Verstelle’s direction. They testify not only to the vitality of the Delft ceramic industry in the 1760s, but also to the active role played by women in sustaining and shaping its output, contributing decisively to Delft’s participation in an increasingly interconnected European market for luxury tableware.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Lengths: 6 cm. (2.4 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Amsterdam

NOTE
This pair of miniature recumbent dogs belongs to a category of small-scale figural Delftware that gained popularity in the eighteenth century as decorative objects for domestic interiors. Miniatures such as these were intended for intimate settings, displayed on mantelpieces, cabinets, or within vitrines, where their modest scale invited close viewing and personal engagement rather than monumental display.

Miniature animal figures occupied a distinct place within Delftware production. Delft potters increasingly explored reduced formats in the eighteenth century, responding to changing tastes that favored refinement, novelty, and the charm of small objects. These miniatures often depict familiar animals, dogs, cows, sheep, or birds, rendered in relaxed poses that emphasize calmness and domesticity. Their appeal lay not in strict naturalism but in their decorative presence and tactile immediacy.

The present dogs are modeled in a recumbent pose, resting on low, green-painted bases that suggest grassy ground. Their bodies are lightly mottled in manganese-purple tones, a decorative effect frequently employed in Delftware to suggest fur rather than to imitate a specific breed. Details such as the collars, facial features, and subtly indicated musculature are sparingly applied, allowing the overall silhouette to remain clear and legible at a small scale. The paired format, with the figures oriented toward one another, suggests their intended use as pendants, reinforcing symmetry in interior arrangements.

Delft, circa 1760

DIMENSIONS
Height: 17 cm. (6.7 in.);
Length: 20.5 cm. (8 in.)

PROVENANCE
Dutch Private Collection, Maastricht;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam

NOTE
This pair of Delftware cows derives directly from a long-standing civic tradition in the Netherlands: the ceremonial parade of the Butchers’ Guild. Each year, on the feast day of Saint Luke, the guild’s patron saint, symbolized by the apocalyptic winged ox, the guild celebrated its finest bull or cow in a public procession. The chosen animal was lavishly adorned with floral garlands, ribbons, and gilded horns, often topped with citrus fruit, and led through the town accompanied by drummers, pipers, and a jubilant crowd of guild members and townspeople.

The visual language of this parade is unmistakably echoed in the present figures. The cows are modeled standing and facing one another, their calm yet attentive postures suggesting a moment of ceremonial display rather than agricultural labor. The painted floral swags draped across their backs and necks, together with the yellow horns, closely reflect contemporary descriptions of the guild animal’s decoration. These embellishments transformed the beast into a symbol of abundance, civic pride, and communal festivity, an image that Delft potters translated into ceramic form for the domestic interior.

Historical accounts underscore the persistence and significance of this tradition. Even after the decline of the guild system, butchers continued to parade especially fine animals through town as a form of advertisement and celebration. As Jan ter Gouw noted in De Volksvermaken (1871), the decorated ox remained synonymous with excellence and prosperity, giving rise to the saying “the guild ox is on parade”, a proverbial expression for a true feast.

By casting the cow as a festive and honored subject, Delftware examples such as this pair preserve the memory of a public ritual that once animated Dutch urban life. Removed from the street and installed on mantelpieces or cupboards, the cows functioned as enduring reminders of collective celebration, civic identity, and the ceremonial culture surrounding food, abundance, and community in the early modern Netherlands.