Tichelaar Makkum handpainted Delft chinoiserie style polychrome 'klapmuts' bowl (tin glaze)
$73.59
Medium sized (15,2 cm diameter) handpainted polychrome bowl made between 1910 and 1940 by Tichelaar in Makkum, the Netherlands. The bowl is made after the so called 'klapmuts bowls' which were imported during the 17th century from China to Europe, mainly by the Dutch. These bowls were less narrow than traditional Chinese bowls and featured an everted rim, which was more suitable for western style dining with a spoon. The name 'klapmuts' (which can be loosely translated as a hat / cap with a foldable rim) comes from the similarity with the broad-rimmed felt hat which Dutch peasants traditionally wore during that period.
Here is an example of a very similar klapmuts bowl from the early 17th century: https://www.mfordcreech.com/Ming_Dynasty_Kraak_Porcelain_Large_Klapmuts_Bowl_Wanli_c1600-1620.html
The design and decoration of these Chinese bowls were later copied in the tin-glazed earthenware Delftware that was produced in Holland from the 17th Century onwards to satisfy the demand for this rare and expensive Chinese export porcelain.
The bowl has a polychrome decoration painted in blue, green, orange and russet (reddish brown) colours on a white tin-glaze background. For an explanation of the decorations of the dish, see the description in the above provided link to the original 'klapmuts bowl'. The dish has two small holes in its footring with a cord through it for hanging it on a wall.
The bowl is signed on the backside with an early handpainted Tichelaar Makkum mark (the simple version with just two crossed T's, used from ca. 1890 till 1947). The mark beneath the two T's is a bit peculiar, it could be a signature of the painter Gerrit Altena, who started his own company (Altena & Krooyenga) in Makkum in 1965. He has a very similar monogram. But it could also be a symbol that was added by Tichelaar to the standard mark to give items like these a more 'Chinese' look.
The dish is handmade according to century-old traditions identical to how 17th or 18th century Delftware was made. The earthenware (made from local yellow clay) is shaped by hand and after a first firing glazed with an opaque white tin-glaze. The colours are then painted on this glaze and fused with it through a second firing. This creates a product with a beautiful and unique appearance. Tichelaar is the only remaining Delftware producer in the Netherlands that still follows this procedure.
Condition: good, there is very little wear to the glaze on the inside of the bowl, which has a beautiful gloss. There is a small glaze chip to the edge of the bowl (see detail picture), which is not very noticeable. Small glaze damages such as these are very common on older tin glazed items, because tin glaze is quite brittle on edges. Nevertheless the price of the item has been adjusted for this. The glaze on the backside shows two very thin hairlines (see detail pictures), which are not cracks because they are only visible on the backside. The backside also shows several stilt marks, these are marks left by the stilts where the bowl was resting upon when it was baked in the oven. This is not a defect but part of the normal production process.
A very nice and colourful dish, based on early 17th century Chinese export porcelain. Great to hang on the wall or on its own in a plate stand. The plate stand that is featured in the pictures will be provided with the dish.
Made by: Royal Tichelaar
Place of manufacture: Makkum, the Netherlands
Year of manufacture: between 1890 and 1947, most likely between 1910 and 1940
Model (catalog) nr.: this model was later given number 587 in Tichelaar's catalogue
Method of decoration: handpainted (tin-glaze)
Size: diameter: 15,2 cm, depth / height: 4,5 cm
Weight: 185 g
Additional pictures of the object can be provided if required.
Current catalogue price: not available, this exact model is not offered anymore by Tichelaar today. You can find the current price for other handpainted items on the website of Tichelaar here: https://www.tichelaar.com/shop/fine-ceramics
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About Tichelaar:
Royal Tichelaar is located in a small fishing village in the north of the Netherlands, Makkum. The history of the company goes way back to 1572, making it the oldest continuously operating company in the Netherlands. Tichelaar means "tile-maker", and at first the factory only produced bricks and tiles, but around 1700 production also started of tin-glazed household and ornamental dishes. After 1890 a large part of the production became oriented towards ornamental Delftware in various forms and styles. Tichelaar uses a yellow baking clay for their products, which is locally excavated. After baking it receives a white tin-glaze and is subsequently decorated. This is the way all Delftware was produced centuries ago, and Tichelaar is the only remaining factory to still do so. Other Delftware producers in the Netherlands around 1900 switched to painting directly on white baking clay without the extra layer of tin-glaze. True to the spirit of tradition, Tichelaar keeps mechanisation to a minimum and all items remain handpainted. The quality of the handpainting is very good, it has a distinctive "Frisian" character that is very recognisable.
Tichelaar today still produces some Delftware, but on a very limited scale. The traditional production process makes that the items are nowadays very costly to produce, and for many too expensive to buy. A small number of items is still produced and offered through the shop on their website. The company nowadays has its main focus on producing speciality tiles, with special glazes for architecture / building purposes. More information can be found on their website: https://www.tichelaar.com/.
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This beautiful item 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
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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.
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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.
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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.