Royal Bonn (F.A. Mehlem / Villeroy & Boch) very large 52 cm handpainted Delft style charger with canal scene
Unique and very large (52 cm / 20.3 inch) handpainted wall dish (charger) in Delft style made between 1920 and 1926 by Royal Bonn in Germany. The dish is decorated with a winter canal scene after a painting of the Dutch landscape painter Louis Apol (1850 - 1936). This same canal scene has also been used by other well-known Delftware producers such as De Porceleyne Fles and Petrus Regout. The painting of the scene is well done, in a lively but also precise style. The painters initials (I. St.) were added to the decoration. The painting is surrounded by a classic Delft style flower decoration.
The dish has a rounded backside and features two square raised eyelets with a thick, multi-stranded metal wire through them to hang the dish on a wall. The backside has an (underglaze) crowned shield Royal Bonn ink stamp mark in its centre, in an adapted version that was used shortly after the factory was incorporated by Villeroy and Boch in 1920. In this mark the usual letters F.A.M. (Franz Anton Mehlem) have been replaced by V.B. (Villeroy & Boch). Other marks on the backside are a handpainted style designation "Delft" together with the number 7226, and a group of impressed number and letter codes: the number "50" which is probably the size code, the number "22" which could be the year number, and the letters "Cr" or "Dr".
This is an exceptionally large Delft style wall dish with good quality painting, in a fine condition considering its age (see more about condition below). It will make a nice addition to a variety of interiors, from classic to modern. We recommend hanging it on a wall, but it can also be put upright in a plate stand on its own.
Note: we will supply with the dish the perspex plate stand as featured in the photos, which is the largest version that we have. If you want to keep it permanently in a stand we recommend replacing this with a larger, more sturdy plate stand, as this stand can hardly support the weight of the dish.
Made by: Royal Bonn (Villeroy & Boch, Bonn, formerly F.A. Mehlem)
Place of manufacture: Bonn, Germany
Year of manufacture: between 1920 and 1926 (most probably in 1922)
Method of decoration: handpainted (underglaze)
Size: diameter: 51,7 cm, depth: 3,6 cm
Weight: 4,06 kg
Condition: good, there are no cracks, hairlines or restorations. The glaze is still in a good condition, with a nice gloss and almost no scratches. There is some crazing in a circular pattern visible on both the front and the backside (see detailed pictures). This in our opinion just adds charm to the piece. There are also some areas with dark stained scuff marks on the side of the dish (see pictures), probably caused by the use of a metal wall plate holder. These marks are hardly visible from the front side.
Additional pictures can be provided if required.
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About Royal Bonn (F.A. Mehlem / Villeroy & Boch, Bonn):
The Franz Anton Mehlem porcelain factory was founded in 1755 in Bonn, Germany. It adopted its trade name "Royal Bonn" around 1890. The factory made ceramics of high quality in a large variety of styles. From 1890 onwards it produced Delftware of good quality, such as vases, wall plates and clock cases. They were often transfer printed (much like the production from the Maastricht factories), but sometimes also handpainted. Famous are the large handpainted chargers with detailed reproductions of paintings by Dutch masters. Delft style pieces often (but not always) had either a printed "Royal Bonn, Delft" mark or a handpainted "Delft" written on the back.
In 1920 Royal Bonn was incorporated into Villeroy & Boch. Production of Delftware under that name continued in Bonn till 1926. The factory finally closed in 1931.
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This item will be carefully packed and send by tracked and insured mail. If you buy additional items from our shop, we will combine the shipping of these items. If the actual combined shipping costs are less than the shipping costs that you have already paid, we will refund the difference. So you will only pay the actual shipping costs.
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 full refund (return 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 (shortened link to pdf download of PostNL): https://bit.ly/3ZHTMJ9. In the fourth column (parcels) 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 customs 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 need to buy new materials for our packaging. Only foam peanuts are sometimes bought by us, in which case we prefer to use green 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 200% and then offset it in certified CO2 compensation projects based on tree planting / reforestation in various parts of the world. So far, we have offset 35,5 tonnes of CO2 emissions in projects in Bolivia and Borneo (Indonesia). See https://treesforall.nl/en/projects/ 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.