1701-1722, ATTRIBUTED TO ADRIAEN KOCKS, DE GRIEKSCHE A

Details

A Dutch Delft blue and white two-handled mythological pedestal garden urn
1701-1722, attributed to Adriaen Kocks, De Grieksche A
The generous campana-shaped bowl decorated with a frontal scene depicting Perseus and Andromeda, she chained to a rock by the sea-shore as a sacrifice to a sea monster, Perseus flying overhead seated on the winged horse Pegasus, within lush surroundings, after an engraving by Bernard Salomon (1506-1561) published in Lyon by Jean de Tournes in 1557, the reverse with a fountain scene depicting winged cherubs spouting water from shells and nude maiden in a bucolic garden, flanked by large leaves surrounding huge male mascaroon handles, the bulging upper part with vertical hatches, the domed pedestal base enhanced with leaves alternating medallions enclosing flowerheads (some glaze frittings and cracks)
34.7cm high

Special notice

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20.825% of the hammer price for lots with values up to NLG 200,000. If the hammer price exceeds the NLG 200,000 then the premium is calculated at 20.825% of the first NLG 200,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of NLG 200,000.

Lot Essay

The decoration of the garden urns is a strange mix of fantasy and reality. The cherubs are probably intended to be statues, the ornament on the upper rim would be appear to be in the form a an ovolo moulding. The shape of the vase is the same as the urns in the Dyrham Park collection, all attributed to De Grieksche A. The decoration is somewhat reminiscent of a wall fountain with basin in the Prinsenhof in Delft.
A pair of vases of the same form but with different details is in the collection at Schloss Rohrau in Austria.

Cf. A.M.L.E. Erkelens, Ceramics at Het Loo from the time of William and Mary (Zwolle 1996), p.111 ill.23 for a comparable Grieksche A garden urn.

See illustrations

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