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Lot Essay
The present tile altar is from the estate of the J.W.N. van Achterbergh, whose tile collection Christie's has been offering for sale this season in Amsterdam, London and now New York.
Born in 1928, van Achterbergh became an avid collector, connoisseur and patron of ceramic art. His passion was fueled by his father who, in the 1920's, assembled the largest collection of European and Middle-Eastern tiles in the Netherlands. This impressive collection was loaned to a variety of museums including the Gemeente Museum, The Hague, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Boijmansvan Beuningen Applied Arts Museum, Rotterdam and the Princessehof in Leeuwarden. These bold and graphic tile panels inspired the young van Achterbergh to search for emerging talent in the world of contemporary studio pottery. This was allied with his appreciation of ceramic art from Asia, Europe and the Islamic world. His collection of tiles and tile panels provide a fascinating insight into the changing styles and techniques of Spanish potters working from the 15th through to the 18th centuries.
A family of industrialists, the Menasque Rodriguez initially became involved in ceramics circa 1846. From 1880-1923, an eponymous factory was active in Seville, specializing in architectural ceramics based on historic designs and providing special commissions for many important Spanish families. The present altar, the core of 17th century tiles filled in with Menasque Rodriguez production to complete most of the original design, is typical of its production. For further information, see Robin Farwell Gavin, Cerámica y cultura: the story of Spanish and Mexican mayólica, p. 138.
Born in 1928, van Achterbergh became an avid collector, connoisseur and patron of ceramic art. His passion was fueled by his father who, in the 1920's, assembled the largest collection of European and Middle-Eastern tiles in the Netherlands. This impressive collection was loaned to a variety of museums including the Gemeente Museum, The Hague, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Boijmansvan Beuningen Applied Arts Museum, Rotterdam and the Princessehof in Leeuwarden. These bold and graphic tile panels inspired the young van Achterbergh to search for emerging talent in the world of contemporary studio pottery. This was allied with his appreciation of ceramic art from Asia, Europe and the Islamic world. His collection of tiles and tile panels provide a fascinating insight into the changing styles and techniques of Spanish potters working from the 15th through to the 18th centuries.
A family of industrialists, the Menasque Rodriguez initially became involved in ceramics circa 1846. From 1880-1923, an eponymous factory was active in Seville, specializing in architectural ceramics based on historic designs and providing special commissions for many important Spanish families. The present altar, the core of 17th century tiles filled in with Menasque Rodriguez production to complete most of the original design, is typical of its production. For further information, see Robin Farwell Gavin, Cerámica y cultura: the story of Spanish and Mexican mayólica, p. 138.