Westraven Utrecht handpainted polychrome tile tableau / panel of the summer season
$79.25
Nice tableau of four handmade and handpainted polychrome tiles made between 1900 and 1960 by Westraven in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The tiles are painted in Delft polychrome style using green, yellow (ochre), sepia and russet (reddish brown) colours on a white tin-glaze (or pseudo tin-glaze) background. The tableau displays a countryside scene during the summer season ("Zomer" in Dutch) and is one of a series of tableaus depicting the four seasons. Only the front sides of the tiles are glazed, the sides and backsides of the tiles have been left unglazed.
The backsides of the tiles have glue remnants on them, as the tiles come from a framed tableau and were glued to the backside. We prefer to offer the tiles unframed, as we believe the tiles look better this way. They could be put in a modern frame or used as a decorative element for tiling a wall. The original oak wood frame (visible in the last pictures) will be provided with the tiles and can still be used. The tiles are numbered on their backside, each with a shared number 130402 and an individual number 1 to 4.
Condition: very good, there are no damages, cracks or hairlines and the tiles have no visible wear. The sides and the backsides of the tiles are formed a bit unevenly, but this is a characteristic of the traditional handmade production of these tiles. One of the tiles has a bit of clay missing from the backside, this is not a problem nor noticeable. The glaze of the tiles has a light crazing to it, which in our opinion only adds character to the tiles.
Made by: Westraven
Place of manufacture: Utrecht, the Netherlands
Year of manufacture: between 1900 and 1960, most likely in the 1950's.
Method of decoration: handpainted (tin-glaze / pseudo tin-glaze)
Size: each tile: width: 13 cm, height: 13 cm, thickness: 1,0 cm. The width and height can vary a bit because the tiles are somewhat unevenly formed. The thickness is more uniform and is always a neat 1,0 cm. The frame measures 30 x 30 x 2,8 cm.
Weight: 1,18 kg only for the tiles, 1,66 kg including the frame.
Additional pictures of the objects can be provided if required.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
About Westraven:
In 1844, the brothers Huibert and Hendrik Ravesteyn took over a roofing tile factory that was based in Utrecht since 1661. They started producing hand-painted tiles under the name Gebroeders Ravesteyn. In 1907, under a new owner, the name was changed to Westraven. Westraven produced traditional Dutch tiles, tile panels, cloisonné tiles and various handmade building ceramics. From 1926 onwards also pots and vases by, among others, designer Cris Agterberg were produced.
Westraven became an important producer of handmade and handpainted tiles in the Netherlands. Large and unique tile pictures were made for butchers, grocery stores, bank buildings, hotels and wherever the customer wanted. Other tile pictures were produced in series, with popular images of peasant life, landscapes, ships or more figurative and floral scenes.
In 1963, Westraven was taken over by De Porceleyne Fles in Delft. Handpainting was slowly phased out to be replaced by transfer technology. By 1994, when production moved from Utrecht to Delft, all production was made with transfers. Since then, De Porceleyne Fles has continued to produce under the name of Westraven good-quality Delft style tiles and plates using transfer technology.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This object will be carefully packed and send by tracked and insured mail.
If you buy multiple items from our shop in one purchase, we will try to combine the items into one parcel. Any excess shipping costs will be refunded.
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may contact us within 14 days from the delivery date to return the item. If the item is returned in its original condition, we will issue a refund for the total purchase price of the item (return shipping costs are however not covered).
Shipping from The Netherlands
Processing time
1-2 business days
Customs and import taxes
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Payment Options
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns
Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery
I don't accept exchanges or cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Conditions of return
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your shipping times?
We will send off your order within one or two working days. We use the standard parcel service of PostNL to ship our parcels. You can find their estimated delivery times per country here www.postnl.nl/en/customer-service/international-delivery-times-post-and-parcels/. In the fourth column you can find the delivery times of the standard service (in estimated business / working days). Please keep in mind that customs / import procedures in non-EU countries can sometimes add an extra week (or even two weeks) to the delivery times.
On request we can also ship with UPS for a faster delivery: expedited (within 10 days) or express (within a few days). There are no custom delays when shipping with UPS. Contact us before the purchase to get a quote.
How do you pack your items, will my item arrive safely?
Broken ceramics is a thing we do not like! Not only is it a waste of time and money, but it also (often) means the end for a rare and unique item, which was treasured and cared for by their previous owners. So we really want to avoid any damages during shipping!
We have lots of experience of shipping ceramics, and we have seen what works and what does not work to protect ceramics during transit. If we ship multiple items in one package, each item is carefully wrapped and kept well seperated from the other items. We use large boxes, with plenty of buffer all around the items, so the packages can withstand a lot of abuse. All our packages should be able to cope with a 1,5 m drop without the items getting damaged.
Do you take care of the environment?
Yes we do. We re-use packaging materials as much as possible, which means we rarely have to buy new materials for our packaging. Only foam peanuts are sometimes bought by us, in which case we choose starch based peanuts which are fully biodegradable, non-toxic and water-soluble.
Each year, we calculate the greenhouse gas emissions in CO2-equivalents caused by our shipping. We multiply that amount by 150% and then offset it in certified CO2 compensation projects based on tree planting / reforestation in Bolivia and Uganda. See https://treesforall.nl/en/project/ for more information on the projects.
How should I take care of my Dutch ceramics?
First of all, don't let them fall! Always handle them in a mindful way and put them in spots where they cannot be accidentally bumped over when cleaning or vacuuming. Some people put some (clean) sand in vases to make them more stable.
Second, don't clean them too often! Underglaze painted Gouda and Delftware can be perfectly cleaned with water if necessary, but often just dusting them off or polishing them up a bit with a soft dry cloth is enough. Overglaze painted items should not be cleaned too often.
The colours of ceramics do not fade in sunlight, so you can put them in bright spots where they look good. But do avoid large temperature differences, which will cause increased crazing in many Delftware and also Gouda type pieces.