Flower vase

Although marked with the monogram AK, the mark used from 1687 to 1703 at the Delft "Greek A" factory during the management of Adrianus Kocx, his widow, and their son, Pieter, this flower vase is probably an example of a stock product made well into the eighteenth century, a simplified version of a high-style Baroque-period model of the late seventeenth century. Molds for such shaped ceramic wares were expensive to produce and would have remained in use over an extended period. Here, Chinese blue-on-white decoration has taken the place of the European ornament seen in early examples of this form. Originally, the panels had alternating blue and white grounds, with reserve decoration (white on blue and vice versa) of pictorial scenes such as boys playing in landscapes. The multi-tiered cover also has been reduced from earlier forms to a single concentrated row of flower holders around a larger central one. This example exists in interesting counterpoise to the earlier and much larger vase opposite.