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Lot Essay
With our modern eyes, it is perhaps almost impossible to appreciate just how extraordinary Asian porcelain was as a material for 17th or early 18th century Europeans. To compete with imports from Asia and supply the high demand, 17th century European potters produced what has come to be known as delftware (after Delft in the Netherlands, which had such a great number of potteries producing 'Delffse Porceleyne'). The potters in the Continent and Britain coated their coarse earthenware with a white tin glaze, and when this was decorated with cobalt blue slip it created the illusion of the exotic blue and white Asian porcelains which were so highly prized by the monarchs and aristocracies of Europe.
The imagery on this piece is taken from an 18th century English delft puzzle jug in the Victoria & Albert Museum (museum no. 275-1896). By using a thicker consistency of glaze and high firing temperature, the once articulated hand-painted cobalt decoration and inscription became a transformation of the imagery that flows and moves within the contours of the porcelain skull. Delft Skull sits atop a piece of the London earth of this history and speaks to the act of imitation and the art of transformation.
The imagery on this piece is taken from an 18th century English delft puzzle jug in the Victoria & Albert Museum (museum no. 275-1896). By using a thicker consistency of glaze and high firing temperature, the once articulated hand-painted cobalt decoration and inscription became a transformation of the imagery that flows and moves within the contours of the porcelain skull. Delft Skull sits atop a piece of the London earth of this history and speaks to the act of imitation and the art of transformation.