Gouda pottery tall vase of 45 cm high, painted in a P-decor by Frederika Sanderus

Description

This bottle-shaped vase was made by the Dutch pottery factory Zuid-Holland from Gouda in the period 1901-1907. This object is narrow and tall and measures 45.5 cm or 17.9 inch in height and 10 cm or 3.9 inch in width. It is model 5012 from the Gouda pottery factory. The vase is painted with a beautiful P decor with orchids. The P decor was brought onto the market by Zuid-Holland Gouda in 1901 to compete with the expensive and popular eggshell porcelain from it’s competitor Rozenburg Den Haag. This decor is also called ‘kantjes’, because it is made up entirely of fine lines and dots. The vase was painted by Frederika Sanderus. What is striking about this vase is the bright white earthenware. The Gouda pottery factory Zuid-Holland experimented with different types of clay in the period between 1900 and 1907 and this example has a particularly white, hard surface, which closely approximates the Rozenburg eggshell. The vase is in very good condition, except for a yellowed spot on the foot. In researching the condition of this vase, we came across a mystery. What is striking about the vase is that the beautiful pattern of craquelure does not extend all over the vase. That is usually a sign that the vase has been restored. Yet we have been unable to find any trace of restorations. Ultimately, we were able to look inside the vase with a tiny camera and saw that it indeed showed some damage on the inside. So the vase had an accident in the past and part of the base and belly were glued and then very expertly restored. Invisible on the outside! Furthermore, the vase is well signed with the name of the factory: Made in Zuid-Holland, the signature of Sanderus: RS and a reference to the decor: P/B.