D2407. Blue and White Small Jug with a Pewter Cover

Delft, circa 1690

Painted on the ovoid body with a continuous scene depicting a standing figure holding something in his hands, another figure seated in front of two jars, all in a landscape of bushes and branches and mountains in the background, the shoulder with a band of scrolls and flowerheads, the neck with foliate devices, and the loop handle with a band of scrolls; the pewter cover struck with the maker’s mark of a crowned Tudor rose and the letters DP, probably for Dirck Gerritse van der Piet (#2588), Delft, circa 1666 – circa 1693. (B. Dubbe, Nederlandse Tinnegieters & Tinmerken, Amsterdam 2009, p. 403). We acknowledge with thanks the assistance of our colleague and friend Jan Beekhuizen.

DIMENSIONS
Height: 14 cm. (5.5 in.)

NOTE
Between 1630 and 1640, porcelain wares of an unrivaled quality were imported in Holland. Known as ‘transitional wares,’ this kind of porcelain was another wellspring of motivation for the Delft potters. The term ‘transitional’ alludes to the political changes in China that happened after the demise of emperor Wanli (1619), which at last prompted the fall of the Ming and established the foundation of the Qing Dynasty (1644). In correlation with the Kraak- wares, the transitional wares were not partitioned into panels. Instead, the whole area was covered with a continuous scene that frequently depicted landscapes with creatures or figures either talking or in a snapshot of lively activity.