MAKER'S MARK OF RINTIE JANS, LEEUWARDEN, POSSIBLY 1662 OR 1670

Details

A magnificent Dutch silver dish
Maker's mark of Rintie Jans, Leeuwarden, possibly 1662 or 1670
Shaped circular, the center engraved somewhat later with the coat-of-arms of Hobbe Baerdt van Sminia and Tethje van Gerroltsma (engraved over the original arms), the border repousse and chased with four auricular cartouches enclosing scenes depicting the Continents: Europe represented by a woman with a cornucopia and a child with a book, in the background a horse and three cows, weapons in the foreground; Asia represented by a woman with turban pointing at two children, one carrying a jewellery casket, the other a bunch of flowers, in the background a crocodile, an ostrich and a camel; the third panel depicting America, a woman with feathered headdress holding a spear in her right hand and a parrot on her left arm, two Indians in the background, one carrying a basket, two parrots in a tree and two monkeys to the left; the fourth panel depicting Africa, showing a woman with a quiver and two negroes, one of them with a monkey, an elephant and a lion in the background
41.5cm wide
(912gr)

Provenance

There was a considerable amount of inter-marriage between the Friesland families of van Eysinga and (Baerdt) van Sminia in the 17th and 18th Century. The given line of descent of the dish is:
Aeltje van Eysinga, widow of Jonkheer Frans Eysinga van Jousma 1621-1673
Their son Tjallingh Edo Joh. Heringa van Eysinga 1656-1690
His son Frans Julius Joh. Heringa van Eysinga 1683-1730
His son Hessel Roorda van Eysinga 1722-1790
His son Julius Joh. van Eysinga 1752-1828
His son Binnert Philip van Eysinga 1785-1835
His daughter Jonkvrouwe Catharina Joh. van Eysinga (1817-1857), married in 1840 to Jonkheer Mr Pieter de Beaufort. Mr Douwe Jan Andries baron van Harinxma thoe Slooten 1869-1945, who was married to Jonkvrouwe Clara Maria de Beaufort (1877-1928). His son Binnert Anne Philip baron van Harinxma thoe Slooten and thence by descent.
Although Hobbe Baerdt van Sminia and Tethje van Gerroltsma are related to the van Eysinga family it still is not clear when and on what occassion their later coat-of-arms are engraved on this dish.
Therefore the more likely descent may have been:
Hobbe Baerdt van Sminia (1655 - 1721) and his wife Tethje van Gerroltsma (1663 - 1691), who married in 1678 (dish may have been their wedding present). Thence by descent to their fourth son Idzart van Sminia (1689 - 1754), who married in 1714 Tjallinga Edonia (Tjallingh Aedo Johan Heringa's daughter) van Eysinga (1690 - 1733) Possibly thence by descent to their daughter Cecilia van Sminia, who married in 1745 to Tjallingh Edo Johan Frans-Julius-Johans Heringa van Eysinga

Literature

Dr A. Pit, Bulletin van den Oudheidkundige Bond 1900-1901, p. 52
M. de Haan Hettema, Stamboek van den Frieschen Adel, Leeuwarden, 1946, part I F. Bakkers, De Popta-schat in het Museum te Leeuwarden en wie was de Meester ?, Leeuwarden, 1911 p. 10, the above mentioned provenance is fully described by F. Bakkers in this article.
Leeuwarder Courant, De maker van den Popta-schat, 4 en 5 januari 1912
A. Wassenberg, De Vrije Fries, 1948, part 39, pp. 9-14
C.J. Hudig, Zilver van de Nederlandse edelsmid, Amsterdam, 1951, pp.53-54
J.W. Frederiks, Dutch Silver, Vol. I, The Hague, 1952, no. 181
with illustration.

Exhibited

Amsterdam, exhibition catalogue, Arti, 1880, no 281. Leeuwarden, Fries Museum, Catalogus der Tentoonstelling van Goud en Zilverwerk gehouden ter gelegenheid van het honderdjarig bestaan van het Fries Genootschap van Geschiedenis, Oudheidkunde en Taalkunde, Friesch Zilver, 15 Augustus - 15 September 1927, no. 78. The Hague, Haags Gemeente Museum, Vier eeuwen Nederlands zilver, 18 July - l5 September 1952, no. 382.

Lot Essay

The maker's mark on this piece, a cup, was previously ascribed to Tjeerd van der Lely although this attribution was questioned by a number of 19th and early 20th century silverhistorians. The mark was apparently unrecorded in the wood books in which Leeuwarden maker's marks were inscribed. However in 1947 a study of the painted guild boards revealed the over-painted name of Rintie Jans alongside the cup mark thus making a correct attribution possible. See exhibition catalogue, Lelie in zilver, Van der Lely, meesterzilversmeden te Leeuwarden 1574-1788, Fries Museum Leeuwarden, 16 March - 28 May 1989, p. 16.
Rintie Jans was already a recorded silversmith however given a wrong maker's mark (P.I)
As Frederiks, op. cit, pointed out the scenes on this dish are based on engravings by Johannes Sadeler I (1550-circa 1600) after works by Dirck Barentsz the Elder (1534-1592). The print source of Asia by Sadeler is dated 1581. The print sources are illustrated and discussed in F.W.H. Hollstein, Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, c 1450-1700, Amsterdam, 1949- (in progress), I, 16, nos. 40-43 (after Barendsz.) and XXI, nos 493-496 (Sadeler). The Barendsz prints are again illustrated in J.R. Judson, Dirck Barendsz, 1534-1592, Amsterdam, 1970, illus. 43-6
This dish is related to the dish by Rintie Jans (maker's mark only) also chased with the four Continents, and now preserved in the collection of the Popta Schat which is on loan in the Fries Museum. See catalogue Fries Museum, Fries zilver, Arnhem, 1985, no. 74.
The famous ewer and basin by the same maker, later applied with the Popta arms are also preserved in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden.
See catalogue Fries Zilver, Fries Museum Leeuwarden, 1985, p. 52 no. 62 illustrated, for a magnificent ewer and basin by Pyter Faber, Leeuwarden, 1659, also engraved with the coat-of-arms of Hobbe Baerdt van Sminia and Tethje van Gerroltsma (these coat-of-arms seem to be contemporary)
See illustration

More from Silver, Judaica, Russian Works of Art and `Objects of Vertu'

View All