Blue and white Group of the Madonna and Child

Delft, circa 1750

Marked IP in blue for Jan Pennis, the ownerof De Porceleyne Schotel (The PorcelainDish) Factory from 1724 through 1764

The Virgin wearing a tall crown, a necklace suspendinga small cross, and a long robe partially concealed undera voluminous mantle, one end of which she clasps in herright hand, standing barefooted on a square base with afoliate border, and supporting in her left arm the seatedand scantily draped Christ Child holding in his left handan orb and reaching up with his right hand to touch herhair.

Height: 29 cm. (11 7/16 in.)

Literature: R.L. Delenne, Dictionnaire des Marques de l’Ancienne Faïence de Delft, Paris 1947 (see illustration)

Note: An almost identical model decorated in blue and with apolychrome crown, orb and base, 28.5 cm. (15 5/16 in.) high, marked in red P (probably for Jan Pennis), was soldat J. Schulman in Amsterdam on October 2, 1907, no. 145. Remarkably, another polychrome figure of the same model in the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels (inv. no. Ev.348), illustrated in Helbig I, p. 79, ill. 50, is marked IG 6 for Jan Gaal, the owner of De Twee Scheepjes (The Two Ships) Factory from 1707 until 1725 or his widow Lijsbeth Gaal-van der Plank from 1725 through 1727. Possibly the model of the present figure was developed under Jan Gaal but at alater date came into the possession of Jan Pennis. His son, Anthonij Pennis, was one of the later successors of Jan Gaal,as owner of De Twee Scheepjes from 1750 to 1770 (Pennis’s widow continued the ownership until 1782), and his production assortment also included many figures.

A third unmarked polychrome model on a high pedestal base inscribed “De liefde is sterker dan de doot” (“Love is stronger than death”), 46 cm. (18 1/8 in.) high, from the Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft (inv. no. PDA 117), illustrated in LunsinghScheurleer 1984, p. 318, ill. 369, is dated 1752. Another of this type dated 1761 from the collection of Alfred Boreel, sold at Frederik Muller & Cie in Amsterdam, on June 16-17, 1908, lot 211 and a further example is illustrated in the exhibtion catalogue Het wondere zwart van Delft, Amsterdam, 1963, no.53. Finally an example in “green, blue and yellow,” on a tall octagonal base, 32 cm. (12 5/8 in.) high, from the Collection of Madame C. van der Linden, Antwerp, was sold at Frederik Muller & Cie in Amsterdam on June 16, 1938, lot 553, without reference to a mark.

In Dutch Delftware there is another rare and small group of figures of the Madonna and Child after a different model (slightly larger, without the crown, the Child not raising Hishand, her right hand holding differently shaped drapery, etc.), which includes two identically dated and initialed pieces. The first of these two is a polychrome Madonna and Child in theRijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 36 cm. high (14 3/16 in.), illustrated in Van Dam 1991, p. 91, no. 44, which on the foot is dated 1749 and initialed D:H:. The second, a similar example in aprivate collection, is incised along the foot of the base AVEMARIA D:H” and 1749, all outlined in blue, and the D:H: initials are followed by further incised but illegible letters thatare not outlined in blue. Also from this group is an unmarked example in the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels (inv. no. Ev. 505), illustrated in Helbig II, p. 59, ill. 43; and another in Aronson 2004, p. 142, no. 164. An example with both the Madonna and the Child crowned, was also in the aforementioned collection of Alfred Boreel, sold at Frederik Muller & Cie in Amsterdam, on June 16-17, 1908, lot 212.

The link between this model and Jan Pennis is provided by a pair of polychrome figures of burghers, which are marked IP and incised D:H on one side of the base, illustrated in Aronson 2005, p. 51, no. 48. The initials DH appear to be the common denominator, and it can be concluded that DH was a not yetidentified modeler of Delft figures, possibly also of the present model.