With handles consisting of entwined snakes and a cover fitted with two tiers of nozzles for flowers, this vase belongs to a group of impressive Delft show pieces on stands made during the time that the Dutch stadtholder William of Orange and his wife Princess Mary Stuart were co-sovereigns of the United Kingdom. Many of these ambitious designs were created at De Grieksche A (Greek A) factory when it was owned by Adrianus Kocx (1687–1701). Amusingly, the decoration on the cover includes a multi-nozzled flower vase. The original base, presumably decorated with ornament to match, is lost.

This tapestry depicts scenes from Amadis of Gaul, a chivalric romance that enjoyed great popularity in European court circles in the late sixteenth century.  Amadis, a knight from Gaul, has fallen in love with Oriane, daughter of the King of England, but she and the "Damsel of Denmark" have been kidnapped by the king's enemy, Arcalaus.  Here we see Oriane's rescue.  Toward the center of the scene Amadis encounters the army of Arcalaus and defeats each of his soldiers before finally confronting and killing Arcalaus.  In the foreground, Amadis and Oriane are re-united.Woven from a design by Karel van Mander I, the tapestry is a rare example of late sixteenth-century Dutch production.  It was made in the Delft workshop of the merchant-weaver Frans Spiering (ca. 1550–1620) who had relocated from Antwerp because of the religious turmoil of the era.  The Spiering enterprise enjoyed great success between 1590 and 1620, providing high-quality tapestries to the Protestant courts of northern Europe who were no longer able to buy tapestries from Brussels, the traditional source of high-quality tapestries.  Spiering seems to have enjoyed the unusual privilege of being able to use the coveted "BB" symbol of Brussels' production, even though he was not working in that town.Spiering's tapestries had a high silk content, rendering them especially vulnerable to light damage.  This tapestry is remarkable for the intensity and richness of its color.

The field is divided horizontally into two roughly equal areas. The upper section shows an elaborate and symmetrical arrangement of fruits and flowers. In the center stands an urn filled with tulips, roses, lilies, and other blossoming stalks. The lower section shows an oval compartment with an elaborately carved frame. A representation of Rebecca, standing at the well and giving water to Abraham's servant, fills the oval space.  Other women with vessels appear behind the two main figures, near the well or at a watering trough in the middle distance.  The background opens out into a deep landscape.   A circular cartouche crowns the center of the frame of the oval picture. The scene in the circle shows Christ meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. The border of the entire panel consists of a narrow band showing a row of conventionalized leaves.

Garnitures consisting of three, five, or seven vases were made for decorative purposes to be placed on top of cabinets and mantelpieces, and a garniture of large vases might even have stood in front of the fireplace during the summer months. This five-piece group is composed of a covered vase, two double gourd vases, and two beakers. The middle section on all five is painted in blue on a white ground with scattered clusters of spring flowers that seem random but are in fact carefully placed to form different diaper patterns. The borders at the bases of the vases are decorated with scrollwork and floral and leaf ornament reserved on a dark blue ground. Under the lip of the beakers and at the shoulders of the vases, similarly painted in reserve, are lambrequin motifs enclosing fruit bowls. As one would expect from De Metaale Pot, one of the leading factories in Delft, both the potting and the quality of the glaze on these vessels are outstanding. Established in 1670 by Willem Cleffius, De Metaale Pot continued under several owners until sometime between 1771 and 1775. The factory produced its most brilliant work between 1691 and 1724, under the ownership of Lambertus van Eenhoorn (1651-1721) and then his widow, Margaretha Teckmann.

1690~, Delft

1690~, Delft

Description