Finely painted with six scenes after Hendrick Goltzius’s (1558 – 1617) series of twelve engravings of The Passion of 1596-1598.[i]
In 1999 Jan Daniël van Dam published ‘‘Delfts’ uit de provincie: aardewerk uit Hollandse tegelfabrieken’ which, for the first time, gave a clear account of the other centres in the Netherlands which were making tin-glazed earthenware in the manner of the great Delft factories. These centres, notably, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, were predominantly producers of tiles and plaques but on occasion produced exceptionally fine wares.[ii]
There were three important factories in Rotterdam between 1675 and 1840, but there are few early documentary pieces. A fine dish with ships in a whaling scene in the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum bears the monogram of Cornelis Pietersz Boumeester (c. 1650 – 1733), the principal and only recorded painter of the Delftschevaart factory, and was probably painted around 1725-1730, [iii] the first dated piece is from 1744. The marbled borders are characteristic of Rotterdam pieces.
It is difficult to differentiate between the Rotterdam factories of De Deltschevaart and De Hoogstraat as they had the same director. A smaller and perhaps slightly later plate from a similar series of The Stations of the Cross is also attributed by van Dam to the Delftschevaart factory.[iv] Our plates are probably by the same hand that painted a plaque that van Dam attributed to De Delftschevaart or De Hoogstraat.[v]
The painting is remarkably faithful to the engravings of Henrik Goltzius, the German born, leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque or Northen Mannerist period.
Christ before Pilate
The Flagellation
Ecce Homo. Christ is presented to the people from a balcony
Christ carrying the Cross
Christ on the Cross between the Two Thieves
The Resurrection
Condition:
Typical miner glaze losses to the rims
Christ before Pilate: A small chip restored at 5 o’clock
Christ carrying the Cross: A hairline of ca. 4 cm located at 10 o’clock. Section of rim at 6 o’clock restuck, 8.5 x 1.5 cm
Christ on the Cross between the Two Thieves: A small chip restored at 12 o’clock
The Resurrection: two small chips located at 3 o’clock
Provenance:
The Vanhyfte Collection, Belgium
Aronson Antiquairs of Amsterdam ‘The Van Hyfte Collection’ 24 March 2005 label
Christie’s, New York, Property from the Estate of Benjamin F. Edwards III, November 2012, lot 37
Literature:
D. and R. Aronson, ‘Dutch Delftware’, Exhibition Catalogue, Amsterdam, 2005, p. 38 & 39, no. 35
References:
Van Dam 1999
Jan Daniël van Dam, ‘’Delfts’ uit de provincie: aardewerk uit Hollandse tegelfabrieken’, Vormen uit Vuur, 1999/3-4, no. 168/169
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[i] British Museum 1856,0614.55-66.
[ii] Van Dam 1999.
[iii] Van Dam 1999, p. 75, fig 115. Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum no. A 2805.
[iv] Van Dam 1999, p. 79, figs. 126 &126a.
[v] Van Dam 1999, p. 79 fig. 125.
Price: £19,500
