UNKNOWN POTTER, Dutch
(active around 1635 in Delft)

Large covered jar

c. 1635
Blue-painted faience, height 50 cm
Museum of Cultural History, Lund

The Delft potters attempted to imitate the Chinese porcelain which was imported to the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. They did not succeed in discovery of the secret of making Chinese porcelain, and their imitations were limited to the outward appearance of their object. These looked Chinese as regards form, glaze, and decoration, but the thinness and whiteness of Chinese porcelain defied imitation.

The decoration of Delft faience was often taken directly from Chinese examples. The ornamentation of the large covered jar, shown in the picture, was inspired by the decoration of Chinese porcelain. It contains a popular motif: a bird sitting on a rock in a watery landscape.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.