Pair of Dutch Delftware chinoiserie vases

The intriguing shape of these vases is reminiscent of a calabash gourd, also known as the “bottle gourd”. The shape is frequently encountered in Chinese porcelain. Various Delft potters also produced vases in this form. Like the examples of Chinese porcelain that they imitated, they were shaped on the wheel in two parts. The parts were joined together with a thinned version of the condensed clay known as “kleipap” or “kles”. The joints and any regularities were then polished smooth with a sponge. The very narrow necks of these pieces are unusual. They are decorated in the Oriental manner, with the typical female figures, known as “lange lijzen” in Dutch, or “Long Eliza” in English.

A similar pair of vases was acquired in 1998 by the Rijksmuseum, and was formerly in the collection of the antique dealer Aäron Vecht (1886–1965).

Literature:

J.D. van Dam, ‘Aanwinsten,’ Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 1998, no. 4, p. 438.