Delft, c.1759 - Louis XV dish mounted in solid silver (Paulus Van Der Bu

An 18th century Delft earthenware rocaille covered terrine decorated with marine and pastoral landscapes.
The body of the terrine is decorated with paintings in reserves bordered by bands of ironwork, scrolls, flowers and foliage. On the two main sides, the paintings are decorated with sailing ships trying to land, with the shore in the foreground, and on the two sides with bouquets of flowers, foliage and butterflies fluttering. The cover is decorated with echoing compartments: on one side the sailboats can be seen in the distance, in the foreground a farm building and a dovecote surrounded by trees and a small fence; on the opposite side a house on a knoll, a fence, trees in the foreground and background, the sky animated by numerous seagulls, as on all the paintings. On the two mirrored sides are bouquets of flowers and foliage, insects and fluttering mulch.
Two scrolled handles are underlined by plant decoration.

The lower part of the terrine is decorated with a silver rim featuring friezes of gadroons and combed foliage, and the lid with a "à jour" frame featuring a frieze of waves, scallops, foliage and flowers, topped by a large handle featuring gourds and their stalks.

The terrine bears the mark "PVB" for Paulus Van Der Burch (mark used between about 1743 and 1764).
The mounting is hallmarked Minerve 1st title.


The ornamental repertoire of this 18th-century terrine takes in the four stages of the seafaring journey and the return home, the pastoral idealising the simple life of sailors and the countryside. The silver frame echoes this iconography, with the combed motifs in the lower part of the frame and the waves and shells in the upper part echoing the seafaring repertoire. The impressive setting symbolises crops and rural life, blossoming into foliage and then flowers and florets, echoing the bouquets of flowers and foliage that symbolise the idealised gentle way of life in the countryside.


This piece is part of an ancient tradition of mounted objects.

As far back as the Middle Ages, there are traces of these objects with precious mountings in gold, silver or chased brass, sometimes inlaid with precious stones, whose function was to showcase an antique, a relic or a particularly rare and precious natural product. Over time, the function of highlighting the mount has been combined with the role of integrating it into a décor and highlighting the significant value of objects whose initial appearance does not meet these criteria. This was the case, for example, with oriental porcelain in the 18th century. In some cases, the mounted object will be contemporary with its fittings, preserving the idea of contrasting materials and mutual preciousness.


This historic Delft earthenware terrine, dating from 1759-1764, was enhanced in the 19th century by a precious chased solid silver frame, highlighting its position as a collector's item.


PAULUS VAN DER BURCH
Manufacture du Pot de Fleurs Doré

Paulus VAN DER BURCH or VERBURG established himself around 1743 under the sign of the Pot de Fleurs Doré and appears as Master of this factory on the list of "plateelbackers" drawn up in 1759. During the first period of his business, he signed his works with his monogram "PVB.
In 1764 he registered his trademark, consisting of the name of his establishment, and thereafter his products were marked with the word "blompot" or the monogram "BP", an abbreviation of this name.
His production was meticulous, with cameo decorations in a fine paste with a pure milky slip, the colour of the decoration generally pale and soft.


There are a few chips and splinters on the protruding parts, which can be seen in the photographs, as well as cracks visible on the inside which do not seem to call into question the solidity of the structure of the piece.