Villeroy & Boch Mettlach - very large handpainted Delft style wall plate with painting after Henri Cassiers +++ RESERVED for JACK +++
Very large (42,3 cm diameter) handpainted wall plate / dish in Delft style made between 1920 and 1930 by Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach, Germany. The plate is painted underglaze and features a painting after Henri Cassiers (1858 – 1944), a Flemish painter who specialised in the harbours of Flemish and Dutch towns. The painting seems to be a combination of two works of Cassiers, both of the harbour of the Dutch town of Hoorn. This painting: https://marksmit.nl/collectie/henry-cassiers/vissers-in-de-haven-van-hoorn-bij-de-hoofdtoren/ and this colour-etching: https://www.kunstveiling.nl/en/items/henry-cassiers-canala-hoorn-kleurets/259480. The painting is well done, with soft strokes, but very accurate. The edge of the dish is decorated with fruit and leaf ornaments. In the lower right corner on the front side is written "naa(r) H. Cassiers", which means "after H. Cassiers".
The backside of the plate is signed with a handpainted "Delft" mark and a number (No 136), which is probably a model / decor number, but may also be an individual number for this plate if it was produced in a limited series. There is also written the size class (40 cm), the number 40 is also impressed in the clay.
The "Delft" mark of this plate is identical in typography to the "Delft" mark that was used by the Franz Anton Mehlem / Royal Bonn factory, based in Bonn. Royal Bonn produced good quality Delft style items between 1890 and 1920 such as vases, wall plates and clock cases. Many of these items were transfer printed, but some high quality handpainted items were also produced, including large chargers such as these with detailed reproductions of paintings by Dutch masters. In 1920 Royal Bonn was incorporated into Villeroy & Boch. The production of Delftware continued in Bonn under the Villeroy & Boch name till 1926. The factory in Bonn closed in 1931. The style of painting, the ceramics, the model of the plate and the lack of any impressed or printed marks of the Franz Anton Mehlem factory (which were often well marked) indicates to us that this plate was most probably made after 1920, when Villeroy & Boch had incorporated Royal Bonn and its line of Delftware. The plate may have been produced in the Bonn factory or in the Mettlach factory, where production of Delftware continued until approximately 1930.
Condition: the dish is in an excellent condition, as new, except for a few wear spots on the lower edge of the dish, where the white glaze has worn off, probably because of the use of plate holders (see detail pictures). The spots are not very noticeable and are not visible from the front side. On the backside there are also two wear spots visible on the higher edge of the dish, probably also because of the use of plate holders. In addition there are three other tiny glaze spots on the backside (see detail pictures). Aside from this, there is no visible wear to the glaze, which has a beautiful gloss and shows no crazing.
A matching acrylic stand will be provided with the plate (the same as featured in the photos).
Made by: Villeroy & Boch
Place of manufacture: either Bonn or Mettlach, Germany
Year of manufacture: most probably between 1920 and 1930
Method of decoration: handpainted (underglaze)
Size: diameter 42,3 cm, depth: 6,5 cm
Weight: 1,94 kg
Additional pictures of the object can be provided if required.
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How should I take care of my Dutch ceramics?
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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.
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Reviews (1)
Average:
Oct 12, 2023
Arjan’s attention to detail and his outstanding customer service are what we all hope for when making a purchase on Etsy or any other online site!
Jack