JVV 0166
Delft, circa 1680
The circular spiced wine bowl has a straight side, stands on a short waisted foot and has two opposite wide and round handles. The domed cover has a flattened mushroom-shaped knob. The bowl and cover are painted in purple, green and yellow with a continuous decor of an oriental landscape with Chinese figures. The handles are decorated with scroll ornaments, and around the lid knob is a band of similar scroll ornaments between double circles. The lid knob is painted with a radial stripe pattern. The pierced strainer for herbs on the inside is missing.
Dimensions: diameter 21 cm / 8.26 in., from handle to handle 28 cm / 11.02 in., height with cover 16 cm / 6.29 in.
Provenance: Warner Collection, England
Similar examples
Four herbal wine bowls are in the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Three of them are executed in the same colour combination (inv. C.51&A-1939, C.74&A-1951, C.82&A-1947), the fourth in purple and green (C.81&A-1947). The latter also has a slightly different shape.
Explanatory note
Polychrome chinoiserie landscapes on Dutch Delftware were only made for a short period, roughly between about 1680 and 1690. Most of the decorations are applied on dishes, lobed dishes, butter pots, beer mugs, wine jars and spiced covered wine bowls. The most common colour combinations are blue and yellow, blue and purple, and purple and yellow. Tricolour combinations are rarer - apart from purple, green and yellow, they are also known in blue, purple and green.
