Rozenburg pair of vases, painted with birds and poppies, made in 1914

Description

This pair of Dutch antique vases was made by the Rozenburg pottery factory from The Hague between May 9 and 15, 1914. The vases have a square base and neck and belly with sharp edges. They are 34.4 cm or 13.5 inches high and 12 cm or 4.7 inches wide. They are painted with two different decors: a bird and a poppy. The birds and poppies alternate on each ‘panel’ of the vase. The contrast between the night blue background on the neck and the beige background on the foot is beautiful. The red and reddish brown of the poppy flowers pops! You see typical style elements of Art Nouveau in the design. Especially the elegant lines of the leaves, branches and poppy bulbs. And – also typical for Rozenburg – the delicate lines of a spider web. The vase is well signed with the logo of the Rozenburg factory from The Hague. You will see the year sign for 1914 (the crescent moon) and the work order number #265. We found two names in the archives: De Wey and Wijnberger and also the note: ‘old pottery’. This certainly applies to this couple. 1914 was one of the last years of production for the factory, which eventually was declared bankruptcy in 1917. During this period, Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil) was also slowly going out of fashion. Yet there was apparently a demand for ‘old pottery’ from the tradition of the turn of the century. These vases may have been commissioned (also because the work order book states that only two copies were made) by someone who preferred the Art Nouveau style over Art Deco, which was very fashionable in 1914. All in all, it is special to see these two vases, objects that heralded the last production period of the famous Rozenburg factory. The vases are not completely intact and had several small chards and chips on the neck and base. The sharp rims along the sides of both vases also had some grazes here and there. But these have all been very expertly and invisibly restored and the vases are currently in a very neat condition.