Tichelaar Makkum handpainted Delft tin-glaze quatrefoil fruit bowl / strainer
$239.62
Large and ornamental handpainted 2-piece tin-glazed fruit bowl / drain / strainer made by Tichelaar in Makkum, the Netherlands. This traditional dish is called a 'fruittes' or 'fruittest' in Dutch. In consist of a punctured fruit bowl with a matching underplate. The holes in the upper bowl allow delicate fruit such as berries to be rinsed and prevent moisture accumulation so the fruit in the bowl stays well longer.
Tichelaar has produced different models of these bowls / strainers, of which this quatrefoil (four-lobed) model is the largest and most elaborate.
Both the drain and the underplate are decorated in Delft blue style painted on a white tin-glaze. The dishes have identically sculpted edges, decorated with simple leaf or feather ornaments.
The upper dish has steep, almost vertical sides, which on the long sides feature cartouches with Dutch sceneries, one of a person fishing and one of a person rowing on a large lake or sea. The short sides have two sturdy grips. The centre is decorated with Delft style flowers and a beautiful geometric pattern of cut out holes, accentuated with a blue dotted pattern. The outside of the dish is decorated too, with Delft style leaf and flower decorations on the sides, similar to the ones found inside. The dish has four zoomorphic foots to keep it elevated above the underplate.
The underplate features in its centre a cartouche containing a Dutch scenery with a windmill, surrounded by Delft style flowers. On the backside of the plate we find a handpainted Tichelaar Makkum mark (used between 1948 and 1979), a model / catalogue number (211) and the painter's signature (k). This is the signature of Mr. Jetze Kuipers, who was a well-known and very experienced painter at Tichelaar. He worked at Tichelaar from 1914 up to 1965. The last picture shows him at work at the factory. Kuiper's signature is often found on the larger and more elaborate pieces of Tichelaar, such as large vases and these fruit strainers.
This 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 to very good, although both dishes have a few small glaze damages to their edges. This is often seen with older tin-glazed items, because tin glaze is quite brittle on edges. The upper dish has several small imperfections to its side edges and one of its handles (see detail pictures). Also the white tin-glaze is sometimes a bit thin on the edges, which makes that the yellow clay shines a bit through. The lower plate only has two small glaze damages to its edge (see pictures). These glaze defects are not very disturbing, but should be mentioned and have been taken into account for the price. Aside from this, the set is in an excellent condition. There are no cracks, hairlines or restorations. The glaze of both dishes is in a very good condition: it shows very little wear, has no crazing and has a beautiful gloss.
'Fruittest' pieces of Tichelaar are highly collectible and much sought after. This piece would make a great centre piece for a table and can (with care) be used as an actual fruit bowl. But probably it is best to just use it for decoration. A beautiful item, great for any lover of Delftware or Dutch ceramics.
Made by: Royal Tichelaar
Place of manufacture: Makkum, the Netherlands
Year of manufacture: between 1948 and 1965
Model (catalog) nr.: 211
Method of decoration: handpainted (tin-glaze)
Size: upper bowl: length 30,2 cm, width 24,5 cm, height 10,6 cm; underplate: length 30,3 cm, width 24,5 cm, height 4,0 cm. Total height: 11,5 cm
Weight: upper bowl: 760 g, underplate: 480 g. Total weight: 1,24 kg
Additional pictures of the object can be provided if required.
Current catalogue price: not available, this model is not offered anymore by Tichelaar today. You can find the current price for other bowls, plates and dishes on the website of Tichelaar here: https://www.tichelaar.com/shop/fine-ceramics
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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/.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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.