Tichelaar Makkum antique tin glazed handpainted Delft polychrome style jug / pitcher
$82.28
Charming antique handpainted tin-glazed pitcher made between 1890 and 1943 by Tichelaar in Makkum, the Netherlands. The pitcher has a traditional shape without a pouring sprout. It features a polychrome Delft chinoiserie style decoration of birds in flowering trees and on fences. The handle, neck and foot are decorated with Delft style ornaments. The pitcher has slightly raised diagonal ribs that swirl around the body, adding sheen to the glaze.
This pitcher 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 in a mould 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.
The pitcher is marked at the bottom with an early handpainted Tichelaar mark of two crossed T's. This mark was in use between 1890 and 1943 by Tichelaar.
Condition: good to very good, there are no cracks, hairlines or restorations on the pitcher. The glaze on the lower end of the handle has worn off a bit and the foot of the vase has a few tiny glaze damages (see detail pictures). The inside of the upper rim of the pitcher also shows a bit of wear. This kind of wear is normal on older tin-glazed items, because tin glaze is an enamel glaze that is very brittle on edges. Apart from these small defects, the glaze of the pitcher is in a very good condition, it shows no crazing and has a beautiful gloss. The white tin glaze has been thickly applied, which results in some glazing irregularities, visible on the upper rim and on the base of the vase. These small irregularities are part of the artisanal way these vases were made and should not be considered a defect. The inside of the pitcher is very clean and fully glazed.
A rare and charming early Tichelaar pitcher, great for decoration. It can also be used (with care) as a flower vase or as an actual pitcher on the table (do avoid large temperature differences, as this will result in crazing of the glaze).
Made by: Royal Tichelaar
Place of manufacture: Makkum, the Netherlands
Year of manufacture: between 1890 and 1943
Method of decoration: handpainted (tin-glaze)
Size: height: 19,3 cm, width: 17,5 cm, depth: 12,5 cm (capacity: 1,0 litre)
Weight: 600 g
Current catalogue price: not available, this model is not produced anymore by Tichelaar. You can find the current prices for other handpainted vases and bowls on the website of Tichelaar here: https://www.tichelaar.com/shop/fine-ceramics/.
Additional pictures of the object can be provided if required.
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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 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
Processing time
1-2 business days
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Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
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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.