Uit verre streken
from distant shores
“We sell Stories, not Fairytales.”
Amsterdam & Maastricht, Tefaf 2025
François Mathurin Adalbert, Baron de Courcy (1805-1839)
’Le Negrito à l’ancre. Dans le port de la havanne’
Indistinctly signed lower left. Titled on the mount
Pencil and watercolour, heightened with white, on paper, 24.8 x 34.6 cm
Literature:
The present watercolour will be illustrated in:
-Prof. Manuel Garcia’s projected book on the disease and the slave trade provisionally titled “Fighting the Yellow Demon of Fever: The Struggle against Disease in the Illegal Slave Trade”.
-Prof. Micael Zeuske’s forthcoming Global history of slave trade.
Exhibited:
Mexico City, 1998, Palacio Virreinal, El Barón de Courcy, illustrationes de un viaje, 1831-1833, no. 108
Baron de Courcy was in the Caribbean in late 1832 and early 1833, following his tour of Mexico in 1832, on the last leg of his “Grand Voyage Américain” which had begun with the eastern seaboard and waterways of Canada and the United States in 1831. He had sketched the great natural wonders of the New World en route, from Niagara Falls to the Mexican sierra, but the present watercolour of the slave ship Negrito is undoubtedly the most arresting of all of his American paintings.
De Courcy paints the deck of the ship, where some of the slaves, probably mainly the women, were sheltered beneath spare furled sails when the ship was anchored. When sailing the slaves were stowed in the lower decks and only when these were completely full some had to stay on loose boards above the water running across the deck. This watercolour places De Courcy in Havana inDecember 1832, as the Negrito is recorded as arriving in the port with its “cargo” on 11 December 1832. The details of the slaver’s voyage are recorded in detail on the “Voyages” list in “The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database”.
The Negrito, captained by Francisco Antonio Sarria, flying the Spanish and Uruguayan flags, sailed from Havana for the west coast of Africa on 17 June 1832. She made landfall at Whydah (Ouidah) in the Bay of Benin and departed from Africa on 20 October with 590 slaves, bound for Havana. The passage took fifty-two days, with forty-six slaves perishing on the voyage. The Negrito arrived with her 534 surviving slaves at Havana on 11 December 1832. By the early 1800s, Cuba had become the second-largest destination for slaves transported from West Africa, and in the early 1830s, after the slave trade had been made illegal, the numbers landing in Havana peaked, with twenty-two slave ships disembarking their slaves in the port. By then Havana had become the largest slave port in the world, both as receiver of slaves and as the planner of slave-voyages.
Sunbeam’ Circa 1877, engrave d aboard The Sunbeam
L. 65 x W. 12 x D. 8 cm
1877. They boarded their luxury yacht Sunbeam and travelled the world. A full account of their journey via amongst others South America, Hawaii, Japan, China and Sri Lanka was first published in 1878 as “Around the World in the Yacht ‘Sunbeam’, our Home in the Ocean for Eleven Months” written by Lady Brassey. The
Order of Kapiolani.
The illustrations in the book are after etchings by the Honourable A.Y. Gingham, who worked for Brassey aboard the Sunbeam. We can safely assume that he was given this tusk by Lady Brassey, after she received a pair from the Maharaja, to engrave
A Dutch mother of pearl inlaid panel depicting a vase of flowers attributed to Anna Maria van Rijswijck (c. 1628 - 1671-1672)
Amsterdam, Holland, circa 1650-1655
Signed with a very small monogram, ’AVR’ just above the foot of the vase, most likely an indication that the work is made by Anna van Rijswijck, the daughter of Dirck van Rijswijck (1559-1679).
In the centre of the panel, a round vase bulges with a bouquet consisting of various overlapping flowers: tulips, roses, daffodils, and foxgloves. Two butterflies, a fly, a moth, and two mosquitoes hover near the bouquet, suggesting the freshness of the depicted flowers.
H. 22 x W. 17 cm (panel)
H. 34 x W. 29 x D. 5.5 cm (frame)
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom (at least since the early 20th century)
Anna Maria van Rijswijck (c. 1628-1671/1672) was the eldest daughter of the renowned goldsmith and master of mother-ofpearl inlay, Dirck van Rijswijck, and his wife Jaquelyn Rodriges (d. 1669). Baptized in Antwerp, she later moved to Amsterdam, where in 1657, she married Dirck Thymensz. de Jonge, a merchant of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Following her marriage in 1657, she relocated to Batavia (Jakarta), where she passed away in 1671 or 1672. Given that VOC merchants typically travelled to their overseas postings soon after marriage, she likelydeparted for Batavia between 1657 and 1658. Anna Maria’s marriage into a VOC-related family highlights the interconnections between Amsterdam’s artistic, mercantile, and colonial circles. These three are embodied in the mother-of-pearl work, which depended on the overseas trade in ‘exotic’ materials. Anna’s brother, Jan Anthony van Rijswijck (1624-before 1661), too is known to have continued the family’s artistic legacy as an engraver and master of mother-of-pearl work. He would likely have signed with monogram JAVR, instead of only AVR.
A bone, mother-of-pearl, and various wood inlaid ebony mirror with the Medici coats-of-arms by Leonardo van der Vinne (act. 1659-1713)
Florence, late 17th-century
The octagonal mirror decorated with scrolling vines and flowers the top and bottom each decorated with the Medici coat-of-arms in opposite colours, the somewhat larger black empty spaces very finely inlaid with hair-like lines of wood or metal.
H. 49 x W. 42 cm
Provenance: Noble collection, Belgium
The tafferel stern decoration of the 17th century Dutch man-o-war “’T Prinssen Wapen”
Probably from the ship ’T Prinssen Wapen (1672), snauwschip Adm. of Amsterdam under captain Hendrick Walop part of De Ruyter’s last campaign to the Mediterranean in 1675, involved in the battles of the Etna and Stromboli.
Carved and polychromed wood, featuring the coat-of-arms of the Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, flanked by two rampant lions. The shield is quartered with diagonal bands, lions, and hunting horns, with a central escutcheon featuring a smaller shield with horizontal red and blue bands. The lions, with detailed manes and expressive faces, support the crest surmounted by a carved, gilded crown. The shield bears the motto “Honi soit qui mal y pense” along a ribbon. The backing panel is shaped, painted in muted tones, and shows signs of age, with cracks and wear. The lions rest on a slightly curved base, confirming this was originally mounted on a ship’s stern.
H. 147 x W. 193 cm
Provenance:
Archeologist, historian and economist
Armand René du Chatellier (1797-1885), Chateau de Kernuz; thence by descent to his son
Archeologist and historian Paul Maufras de Chatellier (1833-1911), Chateau de Kernuz; thence by descent
Kept in the Maufras de Chatellier family, Chateau de Kernuz
Private collector, Europe (purchased from the above in 2019)
Original examples of seventeenth-century stern ornamentations are usually the domain of maritime archaeology. They are to be found as a component of shipwrecks on the bottom of the seas, where they are protected by heritage legislation: in the Netherlands by the Wrecks Act of 1934, and in the United Kingdom by the Protection of Wrecks Act of 1973. These laws ensure that maritime heritage is preserved on site. An exception to this practice is the wreck of the Vasa, a threemaster built in the 1620s on the orders of the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus. The ship sank immediately upon its launch in 1627 due to a lack of stability, partly caused by the lavish decoration. The wreck was salvaged in the port of Stockholm in 1959 and has since been displayed in the Vasa Museum.
The collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam also preserves an original seventeenth-century stern decoration. During the expedition on the Medway in June 1667, under the command of Michiel de Ruyter and Witte de With, the ship Royal Charles was captured from the English. The ship was built during the Commonwealth period in 1654 and had been delivered under the name Naseby. After the Restoration, in May 1660, the ship was renamed Royal Charles by decree of King Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York. The original tafferel was then covered with new carvings representing the royal arms. After the capture, the ship was brought to the Netherlands and exhibited to the public in Hellevoetsluis until 1673, when the parts were sold for scrap. The stern decoration could be removed relatively easily during dismantling and was kept as a trophy in the storehouses of the Admiralty of Rotterdam until it was transferred to the Ministry of the Navy in 1855.
The carving on the stern of a ship often relates to its name and, in addition to its ornamental function, serves as a feature of recognition. In English, ‘tafferel’ is still a common term for the carving on top of a ship’s stern, whereas in Dutch, the word ‘tafereel’ has fallen into disuse. The framing of the woodcarving by a tabernacle with curtains was a common
feature of stern decoration in the seventeenth century, comparable to how a ‘tafereel’ or ‘tonneel’ was presented within the frame of an open curtain on frontispieces in printed books.
Indeed, the planked support tapers at the top of the present tafferel follow the shape of a vessel. On the top side, it would have been crowned by naiads of reclining dolphins, lions, or mermaids. Just below the naiads and along the sides were the draperies of a curtain with a caryatid as a quarter piece on the outer corners on either side of the ship. In larger ships, the construction required a slight curvature of the tafferel to ensure stability.
The woodcarving shows the coat-of-arms of Prince Maurice of Orange (1567-1625) adorned with the order of the garter and the motto ‘honi soit qui mal y pense’. The shield is carried on either side by a lion. The limited plasticity of the relief suggests that the stern does not date from Maurits’ lifetime but rather from the second half of the seventeenth century, when the decorations on Dutch ships showed less exuberance in comparison to the first decades of that century.
To identify the associated ship, the lists of Dutch warships from the unpublished inventory by A. Vreugdenhil and J. van Sluijs have been examined. A copy of the manuscript of this six-part documentation can be found in the Amsterdam Maritime Museum. The following names qualified: ‘T Wapen van Nassau (c. 1650), Admiralty of Friesland; Prins Maurits (built before 1652), Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier; ‘t Prince Wapen (built before 1656), Admiralty of Friesland; Prins Maurits, mentioned in 1656 in Dantzig; ’T Prinssen Wapen (built in 1672), Admiralty of Amsterdam.
From the modest size of our tafferel it can be derived that only a ship of small dimensions may be considered. ’T Prinssen Wapen from 1672 is the only vessel that meets this requirement. The ship is described in logs as being a ‘snow’ with 8 guns and a length of 36 meters. The seventeenth-century snow is
not to be confused with the small men-o-war and merchant ships that sailed brig-rigged with a snowmast from the second half of the eighteenth century. The seventeenth-century designation refers to a small open-sailing vessel of two masts that was widely in use by Flemish privateers during the early modern period. The Admiralty of Amsterdam started to outfit snows as part of their fleet during the 1670s, and as such, they appear on fleet lists.
Despite its small dimensions, ’T Prinssen Wapen holds an important service record. On 16 August 1675, it sailed under the command of the Gouda lieutenant Hendrick Walop towards the Mediterranean to assist Lieutenant-Admiral De Ruyter in his campaign against the fleet of Louis XIV. Walop was the son-in-law of Rear Admiral Pieter van Middelant, who kept command of the ship ‘Steenbergen’. The snow was subsequently involved in the three important sea battles of 1676, subsequently the Battle of Stromboli on 8 January, the Battle of Agosta on 22 April and the Battle of Palermo on 2 June. Michiel de Ruyter died from wounds sustained during the Battle of Agosta on April 29th. Three days later, Walop’s father-in-law perished during the Battle of Stromboli. After this incident, nothing more is heard of ’T Prinssen Wapen. It is likely that Walop was assigned to command one of the larger meno-war and that the snow was left for scrap in the waters near Stromboli.
’T Prinssen Wapen was launched in 1672 during the so-called disaster year (‘Rampjaar’), when the Republic was attacked from all sides by foreign powers. It is also the year in which the First Stadtholderless Period came to an end with Prince William III being appointed as supreme commander of both the army and fleet. It is conceivable that the tafferel, similar to the stern decoration of the British Royal Charles, was loosely added shortly before the launch of ’T Prinssen Wapen as an honorary token from the Amsterdam Admiralty to the Prince of
Orange. The remarkable fact that the present tafferel has been preserved above water over the centuries could possibly also be explained by its demountability. As the ship was abandoned in Mediterranean waters, the tafferel could thus have easily been dismantled and collected as a trophy by the French.
Since the nineteenth century, the tafferel can be traced back to the collection of the Maufras de Chatellier family in Brittany. The historian Paul Chatellier established a museum in his family home of Chateau Kernuz, showcasing archaeological finds and objects of historical importance. The museum was dismantled in 1927, and the collection was transferred to the Musée National de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The objects that were deemed too large or too heavy were left in the castle, where the stern decoration remained until 2019.
We are grateful to Mr. Ab Hoving, former head curator of the Marinemodellenkamer, Rijksmuseum, for his assistance in writing this catalogue entry.
Literature:
Armand du Chatellier, Archives de la famille Maufras du Chatellier (Chateau de Kernuz, près Pont-l’Abbé)., Orléans 1881
Henri Bourde de La Rogerie and Jean-Marie Abgrall, ‘Paul du Chatellier’, in: Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Finistère, Vol. XXXVIII (1911), pp. 167-78 and XII-XVI
Yves Coativy [ed.], Paul de Chatellier. Collectionneur finistérien (1833-1911), Brest, 2006
A collection of VOC silver ingots
VOC A (Amsterdam) monogram: with the Amsterdam assayer’s hallmark of the Grill family, silver assayers in Amsterdam, circa 1738
Weight approx. 1960 grams
All bars are 98.7% pure silver
VOC M (Zeeland/Middelburg) monogram: with the Middelburg assayer’s hallmark of François Engelsen or with the assayer’s hallmark of Gerrit van Driel
Weight approx. 1700 grams
All bars are 98.7% pure silver
A shagreen bound VOC Delft notebook with silver mounts and pen
Probably Amsterdam, circa 1780
The shagreen binding richly decorated with silver VOC binding ornaments. The silver plate on the front and back cover shows an East-Indiaman flying the VOC flag within, two silver catches with a silver stylus (to be stuck through the two silver catches), the catches finely decorated with a crowned “VOCD” (for VOC Delft) monogram. With six leaves specially prepared for writing with the stylus, interleaved with 14 blank leaves.
H. 13.9 x H. 8.1 x D. 1.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, the Netherlands
The silverwork may be by Dirck van Hengel, who made book clasps for the Delft and Rotterdam chambers on a yearly basis. Like the blueand-white Arita porcelain VOC dishes from the late 17th century, these notebooks were favoured by the high-ranking VOC officials and often given as business gifts from the Directors.
Jean Baptiste Vanmour (1671-1737)
’Arrival of the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the Topkapi Palace, Constantinople’
Oil on canvas, H. 80 x W. 168 cm
Provenance:
- Collection Kenneth Davis Jr. (1925-2017), Forth Worth (until circa 1985)
- Dow Art Galleries, Fort Worth
- Collection H.L. Young Crowder (1928-2020), Fort Worth
- Private collection, France
Jean Baptiste Vanmour:
Arrival of the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the Topkapi Palace, Constantinople”
The Ambassadorial Processions
Ottoman court protocol for receiving foreign ambassadors was highly formalised and steeped in symbolic ritual. Ambassadors in Constantinople sometimes had to wait for months for an
official audience since the Sultan only received envoys on specific days - notably those coinciding with the Janissaries’ payday. This timing was intentional: on the chosen day, the elite Janissary corps would gather to receive wages and a celebratory meal, a display engineered to impress foreign visitors with Ottoman military might and generosity. According to contemporary accounts, the ambassador’s retinue set out at dawn under the escort of Janissary guards, proceeding through the city to the imperial palace at Topkapı. All weapons had to be handed in before entering, underscoring that the envoys entered as ‘helpless’ guests under the Sultan’s power. (1)
Upon arriving at Topkapı Palace, the delegation would pass through the massive Imperial Gate into the first courtyard, then await the Grand Vizier, who would lead them through the Middle Gate (Orta Kapı) into the second courtyard. The tightly choreographed procession unfolded before hundreds of Ottoman officials and soldiers. One of Jean Baptiste Vanmour’s (1671-1737)
paintings depicting the visit of the Dutch ambassador Calkoen captures the moment the ambassador enters the palace’s Second Courtyard. As customary, the Janissaries are shown seated in rows, feasting from great platters of pilaf at the moment of the envoys’ arrival. (2) This was no coincidence: “Audiences were always held on the day that the Janissaries received their pay. Just as Calkoen enters, the soldiers lunge noisily at the rice dishes.” (3) The frantic scramble of the Sultan’s household troops for their food - a scene of controlled chaos - was a deliberate part of the spectacle. Accepting the Sultan’s food symbolised the Janissaries’ loyalty; conversely, their historic signal of mutiny was to overturn their cauldrons. (4) In the painting, their vigorous meal indicates contentment and discipline, reassuring the viewer (and the ambassador) of the empire’s stability.
Everything about the ceremony communicated hierarchy and power. Wearing their finest court attire, the ambassador and his entourage were dwarfed by the vast palace grounds and outnumbered by Ottoman officials. They were flanked by imperial mace-bearers and ceremony masters, who directed every movement. The procession halted at prescribed points for bows or announcements. Even the gifts and official letters were handled with elaborate formality - for example, an Ottoman official would carry the ambassador’s letter of credence high above his head, to be received by the Grand Vizier with a ritual kiss before it reached the Sultan’s hands. (5) All of these stages reinforced the notion that the Sultan’s court was supremely ordered and the foreign envoys were entering into a magnificent, if intimidating, political theater. Such was the environment that Jean-Baptiste Vanmour documented, encoding in paint the nuances of Ottoman diplomatic ritual for European audiences. (6)
Jean Baptiste Vanmour: Visual Chronicler of the Ottoman Empire
Vanmour served as a crucial artistic witness to early 18th-century Ottoman court life. A Flemish-French painter from Valenciennes, Vanmour traveled to Constantinople in 1699 in the retinue of the French ambassador Marquis Charles de Ferriol. (7) Stationed in the Ottoman capital for the rest of his career, Vanmour became essentially an official diplomatic artist-in-residence. His brush captured everything from grand state cere-
monies to street scenes, earning him a reputation as a tireless documentarian of the “Sublime Porte” (Ottoman court). (8) One contemporary noted that Vanmour “cataloged every aspect of Ottoman society” for European eyes. (9) Indeed, ambassadors and other dignitaries eagerly commissioned paintings from him as visual records of their encounters with the East. Vanmour’s international significance was cemented with the publication of the Recueil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant (Collection of one hundred engravings representing the different nations of the Levant) in 1714. This album, based on about one hundred of his paintings commissioned by Ferriol, depicted the costumes and types of the Levantine world in meticulous detail. (10) The Recueil was issued in at least five languages and circulated widely, “shaping the western perception of the [Ottoman] empire through the modern era.” (11) As a result, Vanmour’s images became the lens through which many Europeans ‘saw’ the Ottoman Empire, even if they never traveled there. In recognition of his contributions, in 1725, the artist was granted the title of ‘Peintre ordinaire du Roi en Levant’ by the King of France - a rare honor highlighting how Vanmour’s art had become strategically important in cross-cultural exchange. (12)
References
1. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam,“Cornelis Calkoen on his Way to his Audience with Sultan Ahmed III”, c.1727-30, object no. SK-A-4076
2. Giles Milton,Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922, London, Sceptre, 2008, p. 45
3. A. de Ferriol,Recueil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant, Paris, Le Hay, 1714, pp. 1-100
4. J.M. Rogers,Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection, London, Thames & Hudson, 1995, pp. 112-118
5. Topkapı Palace Museum Archives, Istanbul
6. C. Kafadar,Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1995, pp. 87-102
7. A. Jackson & A. Jaffer,Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500-1800, London, V&A Publications, 2004, p. 256
8. J.M. Rogers,Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection, London, Thames & Hudson, 1995, pp. 112-118
9. Private correspondence on Vanmour’s Audience Paintings between Zebregs&Röell and E. Sint Nicolaas, Rijksmuseum, 2025
10. O. Nefedova,A Journey into the World of the Ottomans, 2009, pp. 48-55
11. C. Necipoglu,Architecture, Ceremonial, and Power: The Topkapi Palace in the 15th and 16th Centuries, Cambridge, MIT Press, 1991, pp. 67-79
12. A. de Ferriol,Recueil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant, Paris, Le Hay, 1714, pp. 1-50
We are grateful to Eveline Sint Nicolaas for her assistance in catalogueing this work.
A rare ‘Amsterdam decorated’ Chinese export porcelain plantation spittoon Yongzheng/Qianlong period, circa 1720-1740, over-decorated in Holland
On a short, straight foot with a ribbed, rounded body, decorated with a con tinuous tobacco plantation scene. The short straight neck is decorated with gold and ink bandwork, above which a gently sloping wide rim is decorated with a continuous plantation scene on the inside and with flower sprays on the outside.
H. 9 x Diam. 13.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, France
Amsterdam played a central role in world trade during the 17th and 18th centuries. The city greatly benefitted from international trade, including the trade in enslaved Africans and their labour on plantations in Surinam. Many wealthy Amsterdam citizens were shareholders in this plantation economy and made vast fortunes. This wealth enabled them to collect luxury products, including Chinese porcelain. The objects they collected reflected their status and their connections to global trade. Standing among the collection, one was meant to feel at the centre of the world. These kinds of collection ‘cabinets’ arose from encyclopaedic thinking‚—the idea of the superior European ‘who could easily gather the world and place it in a room’.
The original porcelain came from China, where it was made and exported to Europe. Chinese porce lain was highly prized at the time and was often imported by the VOC (Dutch East India Company). However, as in this case, some pieces were further decorated in the Netherlands with European scenes and designs. This over-decoration often was done in Amsterdam, where specialized workshops added European-themed decoration to porcelain. The goal was to cater to the tastes of wealthy European collectors and increase the value of the porcelain.
The spittoon shows scenes of plantation owners, probably European gentlemen, enjoying their wealth (and tobacco). This directly refers to the involvement of the wealthy Amsterdam elite in the plantation economy and the tobacco industry. This imagery reinforces the connection with plantation culture and the wealth that came from it. It was not hidden‚—in fact, it was flaunted. Enslaved Africans are depicted as putti, small Cupid-like figures. The image can also be interpreted as an ‘allegory’ of the tobacco industry, from production to use. However, the message remains the same.
A rare Amsterdam decorated Chinese export porcelain plantation spittoon
Yongzheng/Qianlong period, circa 1720-1740, over-decorated in Holland
On a short, straight foot with a rounded body decorated with a continuous tobacco plantation scene. The gently sloping wide rim is decorated with an idem scene on the inside and birds and butterlies on the outside.
H. 11 x Diam. 9.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, the Netherlands; thence by descent (since the early 2000s)
The depiction of enslaved Africans working on the tobacco plantation appears to be based on an engraving from the 1683 book Description de l’Univers, Tome 5. On page 331, there is an illustration of a tobacco plantation in colonial America, most likely Virginia. The resemblance between the enslaved workers in the engraving and those depicted on the spittoon is striking.
As for the European figures smoking pipes on the spittoon, they were likely inspired by Virginian tobacco advertisements and packaging from the early 1700s. One particularly notable example is a wrapper that features plantation owners gathered around a table, smoking their pipes.
In the Rijksmuseum collection (object.no. [BK-NM-12400-403](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/BK-NM-12400-403), there are two spittoons made of Delft earthenware, with almost identical decoration, arguably by the same hand. It seems plausible that a ‘factory’ sold Delft earthenware and Chinese porcelain spittoons alike, decorated in the same way.
The decoration could have been applied in Amsterdam, but due to its refined quality, it is likely that it was decorated in Delft‚—although over-decorating is widely known as ‘Amsterdam decorated’. As was Amsterdam, Delft was an important centre for the over-decoration of porcelain at that time. There were several workshops and studios that specialized in decorating imported products, including Chinese porcelain.
The over-decoration was applied using so-called encre de Chine (Chinese ink) and other enamel paints on the already glazed porcelain, which was then re-fired. This technique was executed carefully and required great skill, as the decoration was applied on top of the original glaze without damaging the porcelain. Chinese porcelain was already considered a luxury product, but the over-decoration increased the exclusivity and status of such objects. Combining the ‘exotic’ (Chinese porcelain) and the locally adapted (European decorations) made it a status symbol among wealthy collectors. It was a very costly possession at the time, and only the most affluent citizens could afford such objects. The wealthiest citizens were arguably the ones who invested well in the trade of humans and their slave labour.
A large Dutch ebony cabinet on stand
Probably Groningen, circa 1650-1680
A rectangular cabinet with a profiled straight cornice, featuring two carved medallions. The two paneled doors are adorned with raised cushions, intricately carved with grapevines entwined between half-round columns with capitals serving as stiles. The interior is fitted with plank supports and small doors, while below, a single drawer rests on ball feet connected by a stretcher.
H. 208 x W. 180 x D. 72 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Groningen
For a ‘kamerbetimmering’ of wall-panels originating from a house on Brugstraat No. 27 (until around 1896 No. H 109) in Groningen , presumably by the same workshop, see the collection of the Groninger Museum (inv. no. 0000.2261)
This cabinet exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of 17th-century Dutch furniture, where classical architectural elements merge with richly carved ornamentation. The grapevine motifs hint at a symbolic connection to wealth and success, which was a popular theme in the decorative arts of that period. The construction and stylistic features align with high-end domestic furnishings from the Dutch Golden Age, reflecting both practicality and grandeur.
A large Dutch-colonial ebony money box with silver mounts
Batavia (Jakarta) or Sri Lanka, circa 1680
The box, which is overall carved in deep relief with dense scrolling flowers and vines, has at the bottom two money drawers and a top lid revealing an interior for documents and a compartment for pens, all with elaborate silver mounts.
H. 25.5 x W. 44.5 x D. 29 cm
Provenance:
Collection of descendants of a VOC official, the Netherlands
From about 1680, a new style of ebony carving in large floral shapes developed in Batavia, based on Dutch prints such as in the Florilega (1612) by E. Sweerts and the tulip plates in De Blomhof (1614) by Crispijn de Passe de Jonge. Carving in ebony was mostly done by (enslaved) Tamil woodcarvers who were moved to Batavia from the Coromandel Coast or Sri Lanka.
A Dutch-colonial amboyna and ebony collector’s cabinet with silver mounts
Batavia (Jakarta) or Sri Lanka, late 17th/early 18th century
The amboyna cabinet has ebony borders and elaborate openwork engraved silver mounts, with two doors revealing a multitude of drawers.
H. 29 x W. 37 x D. 23.5 cm
Provenance: Hague antiques trade Private collection, Holland
A Virgin Island ‘scrimshaw’ turtle shell commemorating the Transatlantic slave trade
Probably Danish Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, circa 1917
The Giant Amazon Arrau River turtle shell (Pdocnemis expansa) is engraved with centrally three enslaved Africans in chains flanked by canons, the US, British and Danish flags, with clockwise depicted middle left a slave ship annotated ‘THE SLAVE SHIP “FREDENSBORG’; above a scene of enslaved Africans on a beach about to board a ship; middle right a fort flying the Danish flag annotated ‘SLAVE STATION FORT CHRISTIANSBORG GOLD COAST’; and below a fort flying the US flag with a ship in moored front annotated ‘THE “JOHN BARCLAY” UNLOADING SLAVES ON ST. THOMAS IN THE CARIBBEAN’.
Scrimshaw takes the form of decorated pieces of whale tooth, baleen, ivory or turtle shells. Whalers, sailors and other craftsmen would use a sail needle or other sharp instrument to scratch out pictures and messages. Ink, candle black, soot or tobacco juice would then be rubbed into the marks to make the images stand out.
L. 65 x W. 40 cm
Provenance:
- Antwerp antiques trade (purchased in the 1980s)
- Private collection, the Netherlands
An exceptionally rare British-colonial Jamaican engraved tortoiseshell box with engraved silver mounts
Jamaica, Port Royal, circa 1670-1680, attributed to Paul Bennett (act. 1670-1692)
The rectangular hinged cover is engraved with the coat-of- arms of Jamaica, and inscribed IAMIACA with to the left a monogram AVG, flanked by a pair of trees enclosed by a floral border, the front, sides and reverse with sprays of flowers, the corners and front heightened with engraved silver mounts, the sides applied with silver handles, raised on four silver ball feet, with some charming old restorations from the period.
H. 9.5 x W 25 x D 15.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, South Africa (inherited from an ancestor stationed in Jamaica); thence by descent
Cape Town Antiques Trade
Private collector, Stellenbosch (acquired in the 1970s)
A Jamaican colonial engraved tortoiseshell comb-case and two combs
Jamaica, Port Royal, dated 1688, attributed to Paul Bennett (act. 1670-1692)
The front of the case engraved with the coat-of-arms of Jamaica, and inscribed IAMAICA 1688. The reverse is engraved with a palm tree and breadfruit. Both combs have been restored in the past with small charming brass mounts. The engravings have been accentuated with lime, with some traces of yellow colouring, which was used to make it look like inlaid gold.
H. 19.5 x W. 11.3 x D. 1.1 cm (case)
Provenance:
The Henrietta and Chauncey Goodrich Collection (since the 1920s)
Private collection, United Kingdom
A British-colonial Jamaican engraved tortoiseshell comb-case with silver mounts and a comb
Jamaica, Port Royal, dated 1690, the case attributed to Matthew Comberford (act. 1688-1692), the comb to Paul Bennett (act. 16701692)
The case is inscribed PORT: ROYAL IN IAMICA: 1690 above the coat-of-arms of Jamaica. The reverse with native fruit trees, the corners with silver panels engraved with flowers, with a double-sided tortoiseshell comb, similarly engraved.
H. 16 x W. 10.2 x D. 1.1 cm (case)
Provenance:
- Architect Thomas Wallis (1873-1953), who designed the Tate Gallery, London; thence by descent
- Gifted to the previous owner by the son of Wallis in the 1970s
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A Peruvian silver plaque with hammered decoration of ‘ The Marriage of Beatriz Clara Coya and Martin de Loyola’ Peru, 1st half 17th century
Depicting the famous couple surrounded by a feline, dog, monkey, parrot, flowers, child and a servant holding an umbrella, the plaque trapeze-shaped.
H. 22 x W. 29 cm
Royal Governor Martin de Loyola and Inca Princess Beatriz Coya were assumed to be the first married couple in Peru between two persons, each from a different royal lineage, one of the Conqueror and the other of the Conquered. The couple can be identified by a set of very distinguishable iconography in the art history of South America. They are the South American equivalent of Romeo and Juliette as their marriage was forbidden, but one night they met and married in secrecy. However, the Catholic church embraced the story at the end of the 17th century to gain more followers among the Peruvian indigenous.
Large paintings depicting the legend were hung in churches, and the marriage story became common knowledge. The silver depiction presented here is possibly the earliest depiction of the story. It is part of wedding attire, worn as a breastplate by the shaman or close relatives of the man and woman.
Mr Ramón Mujica Pinilla, Curator to the Gold Museum Peru and member of the National Academy of History of Peru, has seen the plaque and determined it to be from the first half of the 17th century.
The Dutch institute for Gold and Silver in Gouda has analysed silver in four places. First, they state that the alloy of the plaque is very high in silver and has a small percentage of copper, tin and gold. However consistent in the alloy, the percentages of it are not consistent wall over the plaque, which points out that the plaque probably was made from scrap silver that could not be heated enough for a complete mix. The technique and absence of other metals in the alloy point towards the given date. The fourth analysis is that of the restoration flap to the back, which has a pure alloy as well, and the inspection of it by Mr Mujica proved it is an old restoration.
Provenance:
- Collected by a KLM (Royal Dutch Airways) pilot in the 1970s
- Amsterdam antiques trade
An rare Argentinian-Uruguayan gilt and bronze relief carved Rhea’s egg commemorating the Battle of Obligado, 1845 Montevideo, circa 1848
The carving on the egg commemorates the battle of Obligado, Argentina, 20 November 1845. The inscription in relief reads: “En mémoire de la bataille de Lobligado, gagnée le 20 Novembre 1845 par cinq batiments Francais sous les ordres du Capitaine de Vesseau Trehouart, et cinq batiments Anglais sous le commendement du Capitaine de Vesseau Otham, sur 3000 hommes de troupes Argentines, defendans quatre batteries redoutables dans la position la plus avantageuse de la riviere Parana. Après un combat meutrier l’ennemi abandonna les batteries ayans perdu environ 1000 hommes dans l’action. Montevideo le premier Janvier 1848 Amerique de Sud”.
H. approx. 38 cm
Provenance:
Collection Jacob Olie Jbzn, Amsterdam (circa 1880)
The naval Battle of Vuelta de Obligado took place on the waters of the Paraná River on November 20, 1845, between the Argentine Confederation, under the leadership of Juan Manuel de Rosas, and an Anglo-French fleet.
During the 1830s and 1840s, the British and French governments were at odds with Rosas’ leadership of the Argentine Confederation. Rosas’ economic policies of protecting the national industry with high tariffs, combined with his attempts to incorporate Paraguay and Uruguay to the Confederation, were in conflict with French and British economic interests in the region. During his government, Rosas had to face numerous problems with these foreign powers, which in some cases reached levels of open confrontation. These incidents included two naval blockades, the French blockade in 1838, and the Anglo-French of 1845.
With the development of steam-powered sailing (which mainly took place in Great Britain, France and the USA) in the third decade of the 19th century, large merchant and military ships became capable of sailing up rivers at a good speed and with a heavy load. Lord Palmerston was the first to propose the use of steamers for commerce along the internal waters of Argentina in 1841. This technology allowed the British and French governments to avoid Argentine custom houses in Buenos Aires by sailing directly through the La Plata estuary and engaging in commerce directly with the Argentinian inland cities. This avoided taxation, guaranteed special rights for the Europeans and allowed them to export their products cheaply.
Rosas’ government tried to stop this practice by declaring the Argentine rivers closed to foreign countries, barring access to Paraguay and other ports in the process. The British and French governments did not acknowledge this declaration and decided to defy Rosas by sailing upstream with a joint fleet, setting the stage for the battle.
The battle had a great impact on the continent. Chile and Brazil changed their stance (until then they were against Rosas) and supported the Confederation. Even some Unitarian leaders, traditional enemies of the Argentine caudillo, were moved by the events, with General Martiniano Chilavert offering to join the Confederacy army.
France and the United Kingdom eventually lifted the blockade and dropped their attempts to bypass Buenos Aires’ policies. They acknowledged the Argentine government’s legal right over the Paraná and other internal rivers, and its authority to determine who had access to it, in exchange for the withdrawal of Rosas’s army from Uruguay.
The Battle of Obligado is remembered in Argentina on 20 November, which was declared a “Day of National Sovereignty” in 1974 and became a national holiday in 2010. The French Paris Metro had a station named after this battle until 1947, when it was renamed Argentine, as a goodwill gesture after the visit of Eva Perón to France.
Sources:
- Marley, David (1998), Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the New World, 1492 to the present, ABC-CLIO
- Mansilla, Lucio Victorio (1994), Mis memorias y otros escritos [My memories and other writings] (in Spanish), Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación; Lugar Editorial
- De León, Pablo (2008), Historia de la Actividad Espacial en la Argentina [History of the spatial activity in Argentina] (in Spanish), Lulu
- Chapman, J (1889), The Westminster Review, vol. 131
A large Kube Kran Kein Amazon Indigenous child’s feather headdress Brazil, Kube Kran Kein tribe, circa 1960s
Made from a cotton thread, woven and decorated with colorful Amazonian bird feathers, an old piece from the 1950s and 1960s.
H. 97 x W. 53 cm
Provenance: Collected by Marcel Isy-Schwart (1917-2012) in the 1960s; thence by descent
A Peruvian silver-mounted engraved ‘mate burilano’ gourd bowl
Peru, circa 1800-1850
The bowl’s exterior is superbly engraved in blackened background relief, with a female figure representing America, Indigenous figures, a farmer, and a hunter, surrounded by animals such as monkeys and parrots, all in a lush jungle-like forest. The bowl is mounted with a refined silver rim and two lion-head handles with loose rings in their mouths. Along the rim an inscription is engraved, reading:
“DEDICADO P.a EL SUB
PREFECTO DE LUCANA D.n JOSE MANUEL CASERES.”
Diam. 20 x H. 6 cm
Provenance:
Collection of Eugène Boban (1834-1908), Paris/New York Boban was the first French dealer in ancient American arts and the official archaeologist at the court of Maximilian I of Mexico, a member of the French Scientific Commission in Mexico and head of the expedition commissioned by Napoleon III to collect Mexican art and artifacts which later were exhibited at the Trocadéro Museum in connection with the International Exposition of 1867.
Collection Le Kalevala, Paris
Collection Jean Roudillon, Paris (1923-2020)
Mates burilados, or engraved gourds, are a traditional Peruvian folk art that features intricate carvings on dried gourds. Originating from the Andean region, this craft involves using a buril, or small chisel, to etch detailed scenes depicting everyday life, folklore, and nature onto the gourd’s surface. These artworks not only showcase the artisans’ exceptional skill and precision but also serve as cultural artefacts, preserving the stories and traditions of the Andean people. Passed down through generations, mates burilados continue to be cherished both within Peru and by art collectors worldwide for their beauty and cultural significance. It is the only art expression that has been continuous and uninterrupted from the inception of civilization in Peru till today.
Due to Peru’s diverse geography and rich cultural heritage, the local government system is complex and layered. At the heart of this system are the sub-prefects, key officials who play a crucial role in maintaining order and implementing policies at the provincial level. They are appointed by the central government and serve as the principal representatives of the national executive power within their respective provinces.
The first mention of Don Jose Manuel Caseres, but written as Cáceres, can be found in the Holy Church of Yaguas records in Ayachuo. On the first of October in 1801, the son of Jose Manuel and his wife Michaela Liu, named Manuel, was baptized by Vicar and Sacristan Don Angel Cárdenas. As the godfather Mr. José Gregorio Cáceres was noted. Up until 1859, Don Jose Manuel himself is noted as godfather more than six times in the records of the same church.
This Holy Church of Yaguas on the first day of the month of October of the year eighteen hundred I, vicar and sacristan Don Angel Cárdenas, certify and give faith that I have solemnly baptized Manuel, a newborn today, legitimate son of Don José Manuel Cáceres, of this parish, and Mrs. Michaela Liu. Godfather, the priest Mr. José Gregorio Cáceres, to whom I warned about the spiritual relationship established by the Council of Trent, being witness Mr. Mariano Mendoza and others.
Angel Cárdenas
A gem-set ivory sculpture of an Ottoman sultan
Probably Southern Germany or Dieppe, 18th century, the base 19th century
The figure, which is dressed in a long, elaborately detailed, partially gem-set robe with ornamental designs along the edges and is wearing a turban adorned with a feather and further inlaid with gemstones, is mounted on an octagonal base of later date, made of alternating panels of ivory and tortoiseshell.
H. 25.5 cm (incl. base)
Provenance:
Private collection, Brussels
This figure represents the fascination with ‘Turquerie’ in 18th-century Europe, where Ottoman themes were in vogue in art, design, and architecture. This rage was also called ‘Turkomania’. The depiction of this sultan shows the blend of admiration and exoticism that characterised European views of the Ottoman Empire during this period. Such sculptures were often produced for wealthy collectors who sought high-quality representations of Eastern rulers, catering to the demand. The present sculpture was rather exclusive, for the gems (amongst which diamonds) are typically Ottoman-cut. They might well have been spoils from the Battle of Vienna, where the Ottomans were defeated after two months of siege in 1683.
A unique diorama depicting Carib Indigenous at the river side by Hendrik Samuel Schouten (1785-1840)
Surinam, signed and dated 1809
H. 51 x W. 69.5 x D. 20 cm
This is the only known diorama by Hendrik Schouten. He became a planter and inherited the Jagtlust plantation from his grandfather Samuel Loske. His older brother Gerrit Schouten (1779-1839) became the well-known artist who made over forty diorama’s, many now in museum collections in the Netherlands and Surinam, and numerous botanical and zoological watercolours of Surinam, most of them now in the Royal Horticultural Society in London.
The earliest known diorama by Gerrit Schouten is dated 1810, so one year after this diorama by Hendrik. It is tempting to assume that this first and only diorama by his younger brother was the occasion that started Gerrit to make diorama’s. Gerrit Schouten’s diorama’s of Indigenous camps differ from this one in that Hendrik also used natural materials such as moss and small twigs while Gerrit made everything of papier-mâché, Hendrik’s figures are flatter than Gerrit’s. Gerrit’s diorama’s of Indigenous camps are always viewed from the river towards the camp and his figures are almost always facing the observer while in this diorama most figures, together with the observer, look towards the river.
The present diorama is described and illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Gerrit Schouten (1779-1839), botanische tekeningen en diorama’s uit Suriname, Clazien Medendorp 1999, p. 134-135 and was included in the exhibitions in Het Tropenmuseum Amsterdam and Het Surinaams museum Paramaribo in 1999.
Portuguese-colonial Angolan Ivory carved Sedan Chair hand Supports, marked A R Diaz
Angola, Luanda, 18th/19th century
H. 27.5 & 28 cm
Each with a natural curve of the tusk, ending in a finial depicting a couple with two children, the male seemingly fleeing one and the female breastfeeding the other.
For a comparable grip, but possibly from Congo, see the collection of the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam.
Indian Ocean
A superb colonial ebony side table formerly in the collection of Strawberry Hill Coromandel coast, probably Masulipatnam, circa 1650- 1680
H. 76.3 x W. 94.5 x D. 67.5 cm
Provenance:
- Strawberry Hill House, Collection of Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (1717-97), Twickenham, until 1842 (acquired between 1759 and 1763)
- George Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, London, Covent Garden, 13 May 1842, lot 77
- Eaton Hall, Robert Grosvenor, the 1st Marquess of Westminster (1767-1845)
- The Dukes of Westminster, by descent (until 1960)
- Perez & Co., London
- Cary Welch, London (acquired from the above in c. 1960-61)
Literature:
- G. Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, 25 April - 24 May 1842, p.176, lot 77
- W. Chaffers, Catalogue of the Museum of Ornamental Art at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, 1876, no.143
- Ian Kennedy, “The ‘Wrexham Art Treasures’ exhibition of 1876” in: The British Art Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, Winter 2018/2019, pp. 80-86
- A. Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, p. 139
Exhibited:
Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, England, 1876
Walpole purchased his first set of ebony tables and chairs in 1759, which were then used to decorate the Holbein Chamber at Strawberry Hill, as detailed by Jaffer in 2001 (pages 130, 138-9). Walpole mentioned this particular table in his 1784 description of Strawberry Hill (Walpole 1784, p.43), and the Holbein Chamber was depicted in a 1788 watercolour by artist John Carter (now housed in the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University). In the painting, the table is visible on the left side, adjacent to the matching chairs (referenced in Jaffer 2001, p.130; it is noted that the table in the painting appears to have bulky feet, unlike our table; however, upon closer examination, it appears the lower sections of the present table’s four legs have been trimmed, explaining the difference in appearance). The Strawberry Hill curator, Dr Silvia Davoli, has confirmed the present table belonged to the house collection.
A Dutch-colonial Sinhalese ivory casket with silver mounts and a trick lock
Sri Lanka, 2nd half 17th century
The oblong casket with a domed lid above two faux drawers, overall densely carved in relief with flowering vines. The silver mounts elaborately engraved. The key can only be put in or taken out when the right nail fixing the lockplate is pushed upwards.
H. 13.5 x W. 19.3 x D. 10.1 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Belgium
The level of technical skill in these caskets is extraordinary. Sinhalese carvers used an arsenal of woodworking tools to achieve layered depth and openwork in ivory - piercing right through the material to create lace-like lattices backed with shimmering mica in some examples, such as ‘The General Spoor Casket’ previously sold by us (Zebregs&Röell, inv.no. 69.2023.20.6.11.30). Art historian Jan Veenendaal suggests that the artists who produced such works were likely from specialised artisanal guilds (pattalaya) traditionally devoted to ivory carving.(4) Indeed, the fine techniques and motifs on ivory caskets closely parallel those seen in contemporary Sri Lankan ebony furniture and cabinets, indicating that a single group of master carvers adeptly worked in multiple media. (4) Each casket could take many weeks or months of painstaking carving, as craftsmen sculpted dense scenes teeming with botanical and zoomorphic detail on a miniature scale. The result was a true tour de force of craftsmanship - a fusion of millennia-old carving heritage with new influences.
A fine Dutch-colonial pen-engraved bone inlaid ebony document box with silver mounts
India, Coromandel coast, Masulipatnam, circa 1730-1740
The oblong box with elaborate pen-engraved ivory scrolling flower pattern all over, with silver mounts, handles, hinges and lock, apparently unmarked.
H. 11 x W. 31.4 x D. 22.5 cm
Boxes like these are regularly called ‘Vizagapatam’; however, Jan Veenendaal (in: Aziatische Kunst, No 49-1, pp. 52-60) has convincingly argued that ebony boxes with fine bone inlay of small flowers connected by scrolling vines were made in Masulipatnam instead of Vizagapatnam, as was long assumed. Masulipatnam was a much more important trade post for the Dutch than Vizagapatnam ever was.
A few similar decorated document boxes with fine inlay of small flowers connected by curling vines bear the heraldic arms of high-ranking VOC officials engraved on an ivory plaque in the center of the lid; for instance the coat of arms of Jan Albert Sichterman, circa 1736 (Uit verre Streken, 2002), or of Galenus Mersen, circa 1740 (Uit Verre Streken, June 2019). Galenus Mersen in 1737 was merchant and secunde in Masulipatnam and at the end of 1737 he was appointed Director of the Northern Coromandel Coast in Masulipatnam. The present box, in many respects, including the measurements, is identical to the Galenus Mersen box and is decorated with a stylised lotus flower in the central
Possibly Spanish colonial, 17th century
H. 15.2 x W. 25.1 x D. 12 cm
Included is a hand-written letter, reading:
Ik Ondergetekenden verklare bij dezen, dat mijn Wel en Begeerte is, dat na Mijn verleyden door Mijne Erfgenamen dit kistjhe met Zilver beslag, met al het geene daar in word gevonden, in vollen Eygendom word af en overgegeven aan Mijn Peete Kind Willemina Aletta Johanna van Boetzelaer.
Delft 20 April 1825
G.J. van Voorst
Which translates to:
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that it is my will and desire that, after my passing, this box with silver mounts, along with everything found within it, shall be transferred in full ownership to my godchild, Willemina Aletta Johanna van Boetzelaer.
Delft, 20 April 1825
G.J. van Voorst
A Dutch-colonial Sri Lankan tortoiseshell bible box with silver mounts
Sri Lanka, mid to 2nd half 18th century
L. 11 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, the Netherlands
In the Dutch East Indies, many Dutch and Indo-Dutch ladies on their way to church were accompanied by a slave carrying a precious little bible box. To show off their wealth, these boxes could be made of gold with inlays of gemstones, of silver, ivory, tortoiseshell or at least of expensive woods. In 1753 Governor-General Jacob Mossel esteemed it necessary to regulate ostentatious displays of wealth. In his “Regulation against pomp and splendour,” he decreed, among other things, that only the wives or widows of the highest-ranking VOC officials were allowed te be seen publicly with gold bible boxes. Lower-ranking ladies had to do with ivory and tortoiseshell boxes.
An engraved English gilt-silver mounted Gujarat mother-of-pearl Communion cup and a dish
Gujarat, late 16th/early 17th century, the silver mounts English, circa 1625
The cup on a rubbed gilt-silver weighted foot, overall with old restorations and repairs to the mother-of-pearl, and with an engraved silver mounted rim.
H. 7.9 x diam. 10.2 cm (cup) / H. 3 x diam. 16.2 cm (dish)
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The gilt-silver mounts along the rim are engraved with the following text: Memoriae Christianitatis Elizabethae Kighley Consanguiniae Guilielmus Wheler Herueus Testis Indignus Consecravit Dittoniee In Comitatu Surrie Septembr 1625
Which translates to: To the memory of the Christian Elizabeth Kighley, a relative by blood, William Wheler, an unworthy witness, consecrated (this cup) At Ditton in the county of Surrey, September 1625
There are two Dittons in Surrey, Thames Ditton and Long Ditton, but unfortunately, the parish registers for Thames Ditton only date from 1663. The registers for Long Ditton do date back to 1564, but there were no burials recorded in this parish for 1625.
However, the vicar of Long Ditton at this time appears to have been a bit lax at completing his registers since there are very few entries for the 1620s, and we could not find any Kighleys or Keigleys among the few entries there were. Since the Kighley family appears to have been wealthy enough to warrant such a cup, one would have thought that her burial would have been recorded, so she may have been from Thames Ditton, rather than Long Ditton. Sadly, most early records have not survived
The bell of the VOC fortress in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, marked JAFFANAPATNAM Ao 1747 VOC
Cast in Jaffna or Colombo, 1747
H. 44 x Diam. 36.5 cm
In 1658 Rijcklof van Goens (1619-1682) conquered Jaffnapatnam, a crucial Portuguese town on the North-East coast of Sri Lanka, for the VOC. For an important portrait of him by JuÃàrgen Ovens, see Uit Verre Streken, March 2018, no. 4. Within two decades of conquering, the Dutch built a new fortress at Jaffna overlooking the lagoon, as they considered the old Portuguese structure to be out of date. The new fort, built according to the Dutch notions, was provided with a new church named the Kruys Kerk, which was still in the fort as a museum in the 1990s. The two bells from the old Portuguese Church of the Lady of Miracles, one large and one small with legend ’Nossa Senhora Dos Milagres de Jafanaptao 1648’ were hung in the new church. The smaller of the two continued to hang in the tower of the Jaffna church, but was eventually removed for safety and lodged in the vestry.
The fortress has long been considered by historians and archaeologists to be one of the largest, strongest and best-preserved forts built by a European colonising power in Asia. However, during the severe struggle in the 1990s between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army, which had a base in the old Dutch fort, the castle and the Kruys Kerk were largely destroyed. With financial aid from the Netherlands, the castle is being restored, but the church will, unfortunately, not be rebuilt.
The present bell, with the VOC monogram and dated 1747, is likely to have been the bell of the belfry inside the fort or above the gate, used to call people to work, or to call the alarm. A bell with the monogram of a trading company is not very likely to have been a church bell to call people to church.
Provenance:
Stenton House on the River Tay, near Dunkeld, Perthshire
Stenton Estate belonged to the Scottish Stewart family. The original part of the house dated to the 17th century with extensions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Captain James Stewart (1784-1843), who died in Colombo, possibly took the bell from the fortress and sent it to the family estate in Scotland. The bell remained in Stenton House garden until the house was sold at the end of 2019.
The Chief Merchant’s Cabinet.
A Dutch colonial gilt-copper mounted ebony cabinet on stand
Coromandel Coast, the mounts Japanese, 2nd half 17th century
Finely carved in low relief, profusely decorated throughout with flowers and foliage. The cabinet, with elaborate gilt-copper Japanese engraved mounts, has seven drawers behind two doors, and the stand is a large drawer above four turned legs. On the back of the cabinet, there is a paper label reading Mr Huson and numbered 59.
H. 118.5 x W. 69 x D. 47 cm
Provenance:
With Peter Tillou Fine Arts, London Collection Philip Hewat-Jaboor (purchased from the above in 1993)
This low-relief carving on the present cabinet belongs to the earliest type of carving in ebony, ordered by the Dutch in Asia. The Coromandel Coast harboured an important industry for producing carved ebony furniture before the Dutch were there. In the early 17th century, the Dutch presence on the ‘Cust’ became more substantial. They ordered their ‘Custmeubelen’ or coastal furniture here because, initially, that was the only place where they could get the highly favoured ebony furniture. Due to severe famines and many wars on the Coast in the second half of the 17th century, many local furniture makers and other craftsmen had to sell themselves into slavery to the Dutch. Many ended up practising their craftsmanship in Batavia.
Initially, these cabinets came without any mounts at all, but most likely, the Dutch started ordering the cabinets with mounts or had them altered later on, for instance, in Batavia. For instance, the Japanese chestnut cabinets of similar form with Indonesian mounts in our collection, but also in the Rijksmuseum (BK-15987). The present cabinet doesn’t have Indonesian but Japanese mounts, executed in gilt copper. The mounts date from the same period as the cabinet and fit perfectly, so it is safe to assume they were added not much later. It is most unusual, possibly unique, to
find such elaborate Japanese mounts on an ebony cabinet, which must have been so valuable that only the highest East India Company officials were able to afford.
One can assume that someone like Constantijn Ranst (1635-1714) could have ordered this cabinet during his period as director of Dutch Bengal from 1669 to 1673. He became opperhoofd, or chief merchant, of the Dutch trade post on Deshima in Japan from 1667 to 1668, 1683 to 1684, and 1686 to 1687. A splendid ebony cabinet containing valuables and important letters would not misstand in Ranst’s comptoir on the artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki - especially when it was embellished with lavish Japanese gilt mounts.
An Anglo-Indian ‘vizagapatam’ pen-engraved ivory chess set India, Visakhapatnam, circa 1850
The complete chess set is made of 32 pieces, of which half are stained. The foldable board with central hinges is made of pen-engraved ivory plates with floral motifs over a wooden core. On its front side, it shows the checkerboard where the game is played. On the reverse side, it has a recessed, plain wood central area, over which the matching box containing the pieces fits, allowing it to be stored in a smaller space elegantly.
L. 35,25 cm x W. 17,5 cm x H. 8 cm (box)
L. 53.5 cm x W. 53.5 cm x H. 4 cm (board open) / W. 26 (board closed)
H. 5.5 cm / 11 cm (chess pieces)
Provenance:
Collection of the Coutinho family, Porto
A pair of Anglo-Indian ivory-inlaid padouk side chairs
India, Visakhapatnam, mid-18th century
H. 103.5 x W. 51 x D. 48 cm (each)
Provenance:
- By tradition, a gift from the Nawab of Arcot to a British East India Company official
Acquired in Spain by Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-79) and subsequently installed at 148, Piccadilly, London
Thence by descent to Victor Rothschild, Esq., 148, Piccadilly, London where the suite was recorded in the library central hall (or entrance hall) and lobby (or west lobby) in 1882, 1904, 1915, 1924 and 1928
Sold from 148 Piccadilly, by order of Victor Rothschild; Sotheby’s house sale, 20 April 1937, lot 195 (part), to Partridge
With Lennox Money Antiques, London, December 1973
Acquired circa 1973 and sold Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 9 July 1998, lot 51
The Collection of Lily & Edmond Safra, sold Sotheby’s, New York, 3-4 November 2005, lot 141
Private collection, United Kingdom
A Mughal silver and silver-gilt enamelled peacock feather fan, or ‘morchal’ India, probably Deccan, 2nd half 17th century
+++ summery miniture
L. 121 cm (overall) / L. 17.5 x Diam. 5.5 cm (handle)
The magnificent silver, silver-gilt and enamelled peacock feather fan (morchal), composed of a cylindrical silver core encased in very fine silver mesh held in place by silver-gilt mounts that are at once both functional, being part of the construction, and ornamental, being elaborately cut, chased and pierced for decoration. Each silver-gilt mount encircling the haft is composed of three horizontal registers: a central row of protruding circular pellets, flanked on one side by a row of lappets that bend upwards to accommodate the rise of the three equally spaced rounded ridges placed at the opposite ends and centre of the handle, and a ridge of continuous trefoil crenellations on the other side, decorated with chased motifs resembling flaming orbs that alternate with punched circles, through which the underlying mesh may be glimpsed. The end of the haft is marked with a flourish by a lotus bud finial emerging from a collar of much larger beads sitting on a flattened dome with swirling lobes.
Similar decorations appear on the cup of the plume holder, which also has a raised ridge at the base, around which the silver-gilt mounts wrap themselves. A frieze of large beads encircles the mouth of the cup. The convex curve at the bottom of the cup is champlevé-enamelled in blue and green on silver. The design is a garland of stylised green trefoil lotus blossoms and leaves connected by silver vines against a dark blue sky. Through the translucent green enamel may be the seen the parallel striations incised onto the hollows of the excavated silver so that the enamel may adhere better to the metal surface. Yet again, as with the silver-gilt mounts, construction revealed is decoration attained, as the striations that we see through the enamelling may be read as the veins of the petals and leaves, adding visual interest and texture to the already rich and intoxicating mix. The choice of the colour palette is an artistic decision of great success, as the shimmering greens and blues perfectly and deliciously complement the iridescent colours of the peacock feather plume, produced by the optical process of structural colouration, where microscopically structured surfaces are fine enough to interfere with visible light to reflect blue, turquoise and green light.
A rare Portuguese-Sinhalese openwork ivory and ebony casket with silver mounts
Sri Lanka, 1st half 17th century
H. 10 x W. 23.2 x D. 16 cm
The ebony box with ivory borders and silver hinges, lock plate and corner mounts, is entirely covered with open work ivory panels. This type of work was typically done during the Portuguese period on Sri Lanka. The ivory decoration on the front, back and both sides consists of branches springing from vases and ending in flower bases from which women appear. The mythical climbing vines ending in the appearance of a woman are a very commen element in Kandyan design and known as nãri-latã-v!la “in all wise of perfect beauty, glorious in grace.”
Like most other mythical things the Nãri-latã-v!la is supposed to grow in the himalayas where has been known to shake the resolution of hermits. The central decoration of the woman on top of the elephant holding flowers in both hands may be associated with the goddess Sri (Laksmi) the consort of Vishnu, the feminine beauty personified and goddess of fortune.
An Indian gem-set gold head of the Goddess Gauri
Possibly Maharashtra or Karnataka, early 19th century
The head of the female deity is finely sculpted, with polychrome hair and facial features executed in gold, complete with gem-set karanphool jhumka earrings decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and seed pearls.
H approx. 6.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland (since the 1960s)
Gauri, also known as Parvati or Uma, is one of the trinity known as the Tridevi. Gauri is the consort of the god Shiva, representing motherhood, devotion, and fertility. Heads such as these were traditionally adorned and worshipped by women. Usually, they are made of brass and, more seldom, silver. A Gauri head in solid gold, however, is extremely rare.
A gem-set silver-gilt Shiva Mukhalingam head
Maharashtra or Karnataka, 18th century
The moustached gem-set head is sculpted in gilt silver in the repoussé technique, beautifully detailed with a scrolled decoration.
H. approx 6 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland (since the 1960s)
The cover depicts the face of the Lord Shiva, and it was used to cover a stone linga (phallus) abstractly associated with the god. It is extraordinarily detailed and is set with gems, including a ruby depicting Shiva’s third eye. The Hindu deity is wearing earrings in the form of cobras, representing Lord Shiva’s mastery over his ego and desire.
A Sinhalese oval openwork ivory box
Sri Lanka, probably Kingdom of Kandy, 2nd half 17th century
The oval box openwork is carved with squirrels amongst vines; in the middle is a kannaris, half-woman, half-bird.
L. 10.1 x H. 4.4 cm
The kinnaris is one of the creatures that inhabit the mythical Himavanta. They are renowned for their dance, song, and poetry and are the traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace, and accomplishment. On the underside of the box, a Hamsa bird is depicted in the middle among vines. Hamsa is the sacred goose/swan of Hinduism, where it stands for discrimination, being able to drink milk only from a vessel of milk mixed with water. It is regarded as folklore. With these motives, this box may have been a (wedding) present for a woman.
A gold Indian jambiya dagger for the Yemeni market
Probably Kutch, 19th century
The hilt is of traditional T-shape with a flared pommel, formed of solid gold with richly repoussé and chased scrolling floral motifs and foliate vines. The original buckle and gold and silk belt are still present.
L. approx. 30 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland (since the 1960s)
The jambiya’s presence in India owes to Arab trade and influence – by the 1800s local craftsmen in Kutch were producing Arabian-style daggers with distinctive regional workmanship. This piece’s opulent construction and style suggest it was a status weapon commissioned by or for a noble family.
Indonesian Archipelago
A large Dutch-colonial padouk wood ‘VOC’ chest on a stand
Batavia (Jakarta), circa 1693
The chest is mounted with brass plaques around the edges and decorative nails to the top, the lockplate elaborately decorated with two putti holding a crowned VOCmonogram flanked by the coats-of-arms of Amsterdam and Batavia, and is dated ‘ANNO 1693’ in the calligraphy design surrounding the monogram. The chest is placed on an 18th century part giltwood djati stand in the Javanese style.
H. 96 x W. 137 x D. 71 cm (incl. stand)
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The many moves from post to post undertaken by VOC officials in their careers made the chest an indispensable item of furniture in every household and for transport. However, to avoid overloading sailing ships with chests of all sizes and forms, the Heeren XVII adopted a great number of resolutions regulating the form and size of the chests and the number each VOC official was allowed to take. On his repatriation, the GovernorGeneral was allowed eighteen large chests, a member of the Council of India ten, a minister of religion two, and a carpenter, boatswain, and cook’s mate only one smaller chest, about three-quarters the size of the largest chest.
The Governor’s Chest.
A Dutch-colonial hardwood VOC chest with elaborate mounts
Jakarta (Batavia) or Sri Lanka, circa 1750
The chest is exuberantly mounted with brass mounts around the edges and large decorative nails to the top and front. It stands on two bulbous dark wood front feet and plain back feet. The lockplate, with key, depicts a double-headed eagle, and on the inside of the lid No J: L: a BB is written.
L. 165.5 x W. 83.5 x H. 54 cm (without feet) / H. 74 cm (with feet)
Provenance:
- The Deaconess Hospital (Diakonessenhuis), Utrecht
- Private collection, the Netherlands
The term Diakonessenhuis is a hospital originally founded or run by deaconesses, who are female members of a Christian community dedicated to service, especially in
the field of healthcare. This chest was likely given to the hospital by the first owner or one of his descendants after staying there.
To avoid overloading sailing ships with chests of all sizes and forms, the Heeren XVII, the ultimate directors of the VOC, adopted a great number of resolutions regulating the form and sizes of the chests and the number each official was allowed to take. This chest is of a considerable size, indicating that it was made a Governor-General. On the inside of the lid is written No J: L: a BB, perhaps referring to a previous owner.
The chest was one of the most beloved furniture items of the VOC in Asia and on the Cape. The earliest chests were brought by the ships’ staff and were made of European wood. Soon, the chests were made of indigenous wood, such as djati, better suited for the tropical climate. Later on, these chests were put on removable ball feet and used as dressers for the interior.
A Hindu-Javanese gold kris hilt in the form of a Rakshasa Indonesia, East-Java, Blambangan Kingdom, 15th century or earlier
Cast in 12 karat gold in the lost wax technique, this hilt probably comes from Blambangan, but shows Balinese influence. It depicts a Raksasa on the Tumpal throne with club in hand, ferocious fangs and curly in warrior mode strung hair.
H. 9.5 cm
Weight 71.6 grams
In the world of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Rakshasas were a populous race. There were both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors, they fought alongside the armies of both good and evil. They were mighty warriors, expert magicians and illusionists. As shape-changers, they could assume different physical forms.
Provenance:
Purchased in Indonesia in the 1930s and by descent to Frank Wiggers, Portugal
A Peranakan Chinese gold ‘tali pinggang’
Indonesian Archipelago, Straits Chinese, circa 1890-1910, marked MWL and with Chinese characters
L. 82 cm
Weight 620 grams
A royal Sumbese gold ceremonial necklace or ‘Kanatar’ Indonesia, East Sumba, 19th century
The necklace is made of a woven gold chain in a tubular form and has a large pendant with three smaller pendants suspended from it (one missing) on each end.
L. approx. 189 cm
A superb Indonesian royal gem-set gold overlaid silver betel box
Probably Sumatra, 19th century, marked with initials
HDL
H. 5 x W. 18 x D. 13 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, former Dutch East-Indies/the Hague
Provenance:
An ancient Javanese royal gold part adornment set for a queen, consisting of a topknot crown with a rock-crystal finial, a breast ornament, a belt, and a pair of gem-set upperarm bracelets, each in repoussé high-carat gold
Central Javanese period, Kingdom of Mataram, 9th-10th century CE
Collection of a notable from the Hague, who stayed in the former Dutch East Indies around circa 1900; thence by descent
Purchased from the above by a distinguished Dutch collector (name is known to us) between 1970 and 1980
An ancient Javanese royal gold topknot usnisha crown
Made of repoussé gold and adorned with a rock crystal orb finial with a gold flame placed behind it, the crown was used in Buddhist religious ceremonies. This crown, known as an Usnisha cover, was a royal crown from Java, worn by the highest royalty and intended to cover the topknot of a royal figure, or sometimes statues.
H. 14.5 x W. 13.5 cm / Weight: 295 grams
The curls on the crown reference the curls on the head of the Buddha, symbolizing that the king and queen are bodhisattvas - future Buddhas. Bodhisattvas are incarnations of enlightened beings who embody salvation in Buddhism. The small stylised curls symbolise snails, based on the myth of snails climbing onto the Buddha’s head to shield him from the scorching sun during meditation. According to legend, the Buddha was so immersed in his hours-long meditation on a hot day that he forgot the sun’s rays were shining on his bare head. The snails, with their cool and moist bodies, protected and cooled his smooth, exposed scalp. They enabled the Buddha to maintain his meditation for hours, though they themselves dried out from the heat. When the Buddha emerged from his meditation, he discovered 108 snails on his head. He realised that these snails had sacrificed their lives to create a distraction-free environment for his path to enlightenment.
The rock crystal orb atop the crown represents the protrusion on the Buddha’s head, known as the bump of wisdom. The crystal also enables the rulers to radiate light when wearing their crowns. A stylised flame, crafted from gold foil with a gold pin, is positioned behind the crystal sphere, possibly suggesting this light-emitting quality.
Similar crowns, all attributed by scholars to the late 9th and early 10th centuries, were found in central Java. The archaeological unveiling of the so-called Wonoboyo Hoard in 1990 was one of the largest and most significant Javanese gold finds. In 2023, a fire raged at the National Museum in Jakarta, and although in early reports it was said that much of the collection was saved, it slowly became clear that many priceless artefacts were lost. Thus far, it is unknown whether the ancient Javanese gold collection has been saved from fire or theft, but many fear the worst.
An ancient Javanese royal gold breast ornament and a royal gold belt or waistband
It features elegant scroll motifs and floral decorations and is crafted from one thick sheet of gold, shaped through repoussé, hammering, chasing, and engraving techniques. Gold loops are soldered at both ends of the necklace for fastening around the neck.
The belt, using the same techniques, is crafted from three separate sheets of gold, connected by hinged sections secured with gold pins. Gold loops are soldered at either end for fastening, allowing the belt to be easily worn around the royal waist. Often, one person would wear two, three, or more belts.
Approx. H. 28.5 x W. 28 x D. 8 cm / Weight: 160 grams (breast ornament) L. 60 x H. max. 7 x D. 1 cm / Weight: 153 grams (waistband)
A pair of ancient Javanese royal gem-set gold upper-arm bracelets
These armbands are crafted using the repoussé technique and show elegant scroll motifs and a central floral decoration. A primary green emerald, cut in an oval shape, possibly reused from another culture or period, is set at the centre, surrounded by cabochon-cut rubies, arranged in a repeated floral pattern on four sides. Some stones have eroded, and some are lost, which points to a rather brittle material. Perhaps pearls were used, which would not remain intact after such a long time.
An ancient Javanese solid high-carat nearpure gold pendant on a three-strand chain
Central Java, Central Javanese period, 9th10th century CE
Provenance:
The heavy gold pendant seems to be cast in cire-perdue and later carved and worked using several techniques. It has a central figure surrounded by curling floral and foliate motifs, possibly depicting a seated guardian deity, or Dvarapala. The pendant is attached to a twisted cord chain flanked by a flat anchor link chain at each side held in place by gold pins.
L. 84 cm (fully extended) / Weight: 744 grams
Collection of a notable from the Hague, who stayed in the former Dutch East Indies around circa 1900; thence by descent
Purchased from the above by a distinguished Dutch collector (name is known to us) between 1970 and 1980
In ancient Java, gold chains were crafted for both personal adornment and to decorate religious statues. Dvarapala, a guardian deity, is found at both Hindu and Buddhist temple entrances, either alone or in pairs. Such chains and pendants were used as protective talismans and worn over the shoulders, around the neck, at the waist, or as a sort of sash.
An ancient Javanese solid gold offering bowl Indonesia, Central Java, Central Javanese period, 9th-10th century CE
The smooth bowl has a flattened bottom and, on the inside, along the top edge, a single ridge above which the rim gradually becomes thinner.
Diam. 11.5 x H. 5.8 cm / Weight: 219 grams
Provenance:
Collection of a notable from the Hague, who stayed in the former Dutch East Indies around circa 1900; thence by descent
Purchased from the above by a distinguished Dutch collector (name is known to us) between 1970 and 1980
This object is registered at the Documentation Centre for Ancient Indonesian Art in Amsterdam.
A large royal Balinese gem-set gold ‘bokor’, an offering bowl on a wooden stand Karangasem, circa 1900, the bowl inscribed ‘Ida Bagus Gelgel Ring Puri Gede’
The repoussé-worked gold bokor is set with multiple gemstones, such as rubies, spinels, and sapphires. It has an extremely refined, detailed repoussé decoration with chased floral and scrollwork embellishments on the raised rim. It is placed on a simple wood base, connected with three silver split pins. The base bears a handwritten text reading Puri Gede ning A. Kresna Diam. 28.4 x H. 6 cm / Weight: 684 grams
Provenance:
Puri Gede Temple, Karangasem
Collection A. Kresna, Bali
Collection of a Dutch gentleman residing in Bali (gifted to him when he returned to the Neth erlands in 1968); thence by descent
Purchased from the above by a distinguished Dutch collector (name is known to us) in the 1970s
The inscribed text on the bottom of the bowl reads in script, ‘Ida Bagus Gelgel Ring Puri Gede’.
This inscription could identify ownership or dedication to a nobleman named Ida Bagus Gel gel, associated with the Puri Gede. The handwritten text at the bottom of the wood stand could point towards a later owner named ‘A. Kresna’.
Puri Gede is a royal temple complex in East Bali, opposite Puri Agung Karangasem, the Karangasem family temple complex. Some structures within this temple complex date back to the Dutch colonial period. The present bowl was probably gifted or used by the Karangasem royal family for offerings to deified ancestors to honour and appease them. Such bowls were also used in ceremonial gatherings, such as communal tobacco chewing, where different containers were placed inside the bokor as a sirih set for betel nut chewing. The large size of the bowl further argues that it was part of large ceremonies and gatherings within royal circles.
Bowls of such size and quality are extremely scarce. A comparable bowl can be found in the Dutch Royal Collection (inv. no. MU-3615). In 1908, Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962) received various tokens of honour (punia) from the regent of Karangasem, I Gusti Gde Djelantik, upon his retirement from office, including the golden bowl. “Upon reaching old age, he wished, in accordance with Hindu tradition, to spend his final years in peaceful contemplation, far from the turmoil of the world. This significant event in his life was accompanied by three days of dewa festivals and the presentation of a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, which was reciprocated with a gift - a fountain in the pleasure retreat of Sekoete.”
A Dutch-colonial Indonesian ebony cabinet on stand
Jakarta (Batavia), 2nd half 17th century
Made of several hardwoods, including ebony, profusely carved on its sides and top; the doors are carved on both sides; the cabinethas an arrangement of drawers on five levels; the front of these is again carved but in lower relief compared to the carving on the carcass of the cabinet; the carving on the top of the cabinet consists of a garland of flowers under which there are spiralling botanical tendrils that weave around sunflowers; the sides have a ribbon motif on the top under which sunflowers and berries are seen against swirling tendrils.
There are heavy and substantial silver handles which are mounted on the sunflower heads; this reveals a level of sophistication seldom seen in these cabinets. The exterior of the doors at the front are atour de forceof both design and execution. The top of each is defined by the ribbon motif continued from that on the sides. Under this is a riot of plant forms, including sunflowers and berries; amidst these are twoputtiplaying amongst the foliage. This is repeated on the other door.
The interiors of the doors are unusual as they are also carved. The ribbon motif continues on the top edge, and there is another ribbon in the central portion. The swirling plant motifs are seen throughout. The fronts of the draws are carved in lower relief with the plant and sunflower motifs.
H. 79 x W. 68.5 x D. 53 cm (cabinet)
H.100 x W. 71.5 x D. 56 cm (stand)
Provenance:
Private collection, South Africa (since the late 19th century); thence by descent
There is a related clothes chest in theTropenmuseum in Amsterdam, which is illustrated in Hollandsche Koloniale Barokmeubel by Dr V.I.Van De Wall, fig 58. It is described there as unusual for a clothes chest to be decorated in such a manner and that, as the carving would have taken a great deal of time and skill, it was very valuable and could be called unique. Our cabinet must certainly have come from the same workshop as the chest.
Pieter Holsteyn I (1585-1662)
“Paradijs Vogel”
Monogrammed PH. fe. and titled in pen and ink
With a manuscript collector’s mark in pencil on on the reverse
Gouache on laid paper with partial watermark ‘RC’, H. 15. 7 x W. 20.7 cm
By the 17th century, bird-of-paradise skins from New Guinea were coveted trade goods in Europe; Dutch merchants largely controlled this commerce, and the exotic specimens –celebrated for their magnificent plumes – adorned princely curiosity cabinets and natural history collections. Papua hunters in New Guinea prepared these skins by removing the birds’ wings and legs and smoke-drying the remains to preserve and accentuate the brilliant feathers (often for use in tribal ceremonies). This preparation (which left Europeanbound specimens footless) misled many in Europe to believe that birds-of-paradise had no legs, instead spending their entire lives drifting in the air and feeding on heavenly dew without ever touching the ground. In their indigenous context, however, these birds held deep cultural significance: New Guinean communities used bird-of-paradise plumes in ceremonial dress and regarded the creatures as sacred, referring to them as “birds of God” born from a heavenly paradise.
‘Een Swart Conings Vogeltje’
Attributed to Pieter Withoos (1654-1692)
‘A Black King Bird’
Ink and watercolour on paper, H. 25 x W. 45 cm
Provenance:
Collection Renaud de Noray, Belgium
Literature:
David Attenborough & Errol Fuller, Drawn from Paradise: The discovery, art and natural history of the birds of paradise, London, HarperCollins, 2012, p. 120 (ill.)
By the 17th century, bird-of-paradise skins from New Guinea were coveted trade goods in Europe; Dutch merchants largely controlled this commerce, and the exotic specimens – celebrated for their magnificent plumes – adorned princely curiosity cabinets and natural history collections. Papua hunters in New Guinea prepared these skins by removing the birds’ wings and legs and smoke-drying the remains to preserve and accentuate the brilliant feathers (often for use in tribal ceremonies). This preparation (which left European-bound specimens footless) misled many in Europe to believe that birds-of-paradise had no legs, instead spending their entire lives drifting in the air and feeding on heavenly dew without ever touching the ground. In their indigenous context, however, these birds held deep cultural significance: New Guinean communities used bird-of-paradise plumes in ceremonial dress and regarded the creatures as sacred, referring to them as “birds of God” born from a heavenly paradise.
A Victorian taxidermy case with birds-of-paradise (Paradisiae spp.)
London, circa 1900, the glass engraved for The Jungle, Picadilly Circus, Rowland Ward
From top left to bottom, there are the King Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus respublica), Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea apoda), Lesser Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisaea minor), Paradise Riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus), and the Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise (Diphyllodes magnificus). The male birds are all sculpted by the taxidermist as if in the middle of their courting dance, showing their brightly coloured and irredescent plumage, all perched among hand-crafted faux foliage and in the original faux-bamboo glazed case.
92 x W. 62.5 x D. 30.5 cm
By the 17th century, bird-ofparadise skins from New Guinea were coveted trade goods in Europe; Dutch merchants largely controlled this commerce, and the exotic specimens – celebrated for their magnificent plumes – adorned princely curiosity cabinets and natural history collections. Papua hunters in New Guinea prepared these skins by removing the birds’ wings and legs and smoke-drying the remains to preserve and accentuate the brilliant feathers (often for use in tribal ceremonies). This preparation (which left Europeanbound specimens footless) misled many in Europe to believe that birds-of-paradise had no legs, instead spending their entire lives drifting in the air and feeding on heavenly dew without ever touching the ground. In their indigenous context, however, these birds held deep cultural significance: New Guinean communities used bird-of-paradise plumes in ceremonial dress and regarded the creatures as sacred, referring to them as “birds of God” born from a heavenly paradise.
H.
A portrait of a couple in love by studio of Youqua (act. 1840-1870)
Hong Kong, circa 1860
With red printed artist’s studio label verso: “‰∏≠Áí∞ÊÄ°Êù±ÈÖíÂ∫ó (Excelsior Hotel, Central) / Yoeequa Painter / Old Street no. 34 / Queens Road no. 129”
In a Chinese finely carved and lacquered wooden frame Oil on canvas, H. 43 x W. 30 cm (oval)
This portrait of a black man and woman, by a Chinese artist, in an exceptional Chinese carved wooden frame, made for the European market, is a true culture bender and a merging of several iconographic elements from around the world. Together, the painting and the frame form an allegory of love. The painting shows a man and woman in a loving embrace, dressed fancifully, with an idyllic landscape behind them. The exceptionally elaborate, carved, and pierced lacquered hardwood frame that encompasses the painted lovers is decorated with numerous amorous couples in pagodas and other architectural motifs, surrounded by scrolling foliate designs.
Both the painting and the frame are in the mid-19th-century Chinese export style. The label on the back of the painting informs us that it was made by the Yoeequa Studio, more commonly spelt as Youqua. This studio originally started in Guangzhou (then Canton) at number 34 Old Street and later opened a second studio in Hong Kong at Queen’s Road number 107 (see Crossman). By the 1850s, Youqua was regarded as the best studio at that time and was referred to as the ”celebrated Chinese painter, Youqua.” The labels with the Hong Kong address also read at the top “‰∏≠Áí∞ÊÄ°Êù±ÈÖíÂ∫ó” (Excelsior Hotel, Central). Interestingly, the label on the painting we offer here reads Queen’s Road number 129 instead of 107.
Between circa 1840 and 1870, the Youqua Studio produced some of the finest export paintings on a variety of materials, including watercolours on pith paper and oil paintings on canvas and cotton. The main production of oil paintings often consisted of repeated depictions of particularly well-known sights.
Provenance:
John Francis Rogers (1826-1906), China; by descent in family private collection, United Kingdom
Literature:
- Crossman, C. L. The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, Woodbridge, 1991, pp. 198-202.
- Hedde, I., Renard, E., Haussmann, A., and Rondot, N. Practical Study of the Chinese Export Trade. p. 177.
- Lacambre, Geneviève. Translated by Benjamin West. “LAGREN√â Théodose de (EN).” Collectionneurs, collecteurs et marchands d’art asiatique en France 17001939 - INHA, 21 Mar. 2022.
A
Meiji period, late 19th century
With a label on the original box Ink, colour and gofun on silk, H. 79.5 x W. 50 cm
H. 103.5 x W. 64.5 cm (incl. mount)
Takeaki Enomoto, a Meiji government official, is painted in very fine detail standing next to a Chinese style table upon which a globe, painted in white gofun and a book bearing a coat of arms. He is wearing a western frock coat and holding a cane. Takeaki Enomoto was a ket player in the events which led to the establishment of the Meiji government. He also made a significant contribution to Japan’s relations with the West in the late 19th century. He was born as a lower-ranking samurai, but rose up to hold various important posts in the Edo period government.
Enomoto studied Dutch naval science in Nagasaki, which during the Edo period was the only city in which the Dutch on the small artificial island Deshima, were permitted to stay and trade. He then continued his studies in Holland from 1862, and became fluent in Dutch and English. In 1867 he returned to Japan and was appointed to a senior naval post in the Tokugawa bakufu (government). However, in 1868, the Tokugawa bakufu was overthrown by the warlords of Satsuma and Choshu, and the Meiji Emperor was reinstated as the figurehead of a new government. Enomoto resisted the takeover of the Meiji government by fleeing with eight warships to Ezo (Hokkaido) and establishing a Tokugawa ‘republic’ as the last military stronghold opposing the new regime.
In spring 1869 Enomoto surrendered and peace was officially restored to the whole of Japan. When he surrendered Enomoto sent the notes he had made on navigation in Holland to the commander of the army, stating that they would be useful for the country. This conduct impressed the Meiji government and therefore he was imprisoned rather than executed. In 1872 he was pardoned and immediately appointed to office in the government. He was sent to St. Petersburg as a diplomat to negotiate over the ownership of Sakhalin and Kuril islands. He was successful in concluding a treaty giving Sakhalin to Russia but keeping the Kurils for Japan.
His achievement was celebrated as the first in which Japan and a Western power were treated as equals. Enomoto rose to cabinet rank within the Meiji government and his positions included that of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. The globe and book here are clear references to Enomoto’s international experience. The book bears a coat-of-arms with notable similarities to that of Napoleon III (1808- 1870). During Enomoto’s time in the Tokugawa government negotiations between France and the Shogunate began. The first French military mission to Japan, sent by Napoleon III, arrived in 1867. With the mission came Captain Jules Brunet (1838-1911) a military officer who joined the last stand of the Shogunate “republic” in 1868 by fleeing north with Enomoto to Ezo.
The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for Japanese (war) heroes keeps Enomoto Takeaki’s military uniform he is wearing in the present portrait. This uniform was presented by Napoleon III to Enomoto.
portrait painting of Takeaki Enomoto (1836-1908)
A Japanese export lacquer tripod table with feet shaped as bats Nagasaki, 1850-1860
H. 73 x diam. 108 cm
The six-lobbed top is decorated with reverse-painted mother-of-pearl in a sprawling motif of plum blossom, bamboo, and peonies, surrounded by fluttering sparrows enhanced by details in maki-e.
The table, made to appeal to a foreign audience, incorporates a curious mixture of seasonal references. In addition to the decoration of foliage from late winter and spring, the column is decorated with grapes and a rabbit pounding rice, both Japanese motifs for autumn and the month of September. The feet, shaped like bats that almost appear to wake up from hibernation, symbolise luck and happiness in Japan.
The present flamboyant Nagasaki-style table is depicted in the Asada workshop drawings of 1856. These drawings, titled Aogai makie hiinagata hikae (memorandum of designs for lacquer with inlaid pearl shell) are unique documentation of Nagasaki lacquerware. They show a range of designs for the fashion of furniture and smaller items for export from the
A rare Japanese Namban export lacquer coffer with Mon emblems
Late Momoyama period, late 16th century
The coffer is decorated in black lacquer, urushi, on cedar wood, decorated with gold dust and silver, maki-e, and nashiji, mother-of-pearl, raden, and red copper mounts in the Kõdaiji-style.
H. 29.2 x W. 45 x D. 38.5 cm
Provenance:
- Private collection, the Netherlands
- Private collection, Switzerland
Although the form of the box is European/ Iberian, the decoration with several mon that each identify a Japanese family, clan, or individual indicates that this box was probably intended for the Japanese domestic market and not the export market. Mon can be regarded more or less as the Japanese equivalent of the coat-of-arms in European society. The mon possibly originated over a thousand years ago from banners used by warriors on the battlefield in order to distinguish each other. There are 241 different kinds of mon known, but today, with all their variations, about 20.000 exist. In the Edo period, samurai used them to identify themselves, but some particular mon have always been reserved for the Imperial Court.
The mon on the present chest include; Katabami (oxalis), Goshichi-no-kiri (paulownia), Sakura (cherry blossom), Yuroku- kiku (16 petals of chrysanthemum) and Shyppo (the 7 treasures). So most mon consist of stylised flowers.
A fine Japanese lacquer cabinet with gilt-copper mounts for the European market Edo period, late 17th century
The rectangular cabinet with two hinged doors opening to reveal ten various sized drawers, decorated on the doors with a teapot and a potted shrub in gold, silver and red hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, hirame and nashiji, the sides with birds perched on trees, on a black ground, with the inside of the door with sprinkled gold, nashiji and silver inlaid flower-petals, the drawer fronts decorated with flowers, trees and small pavilions in rocky landscapes (sansui), in gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e.
H. 69.3 x W. 91 x D. 57 cm
Provenance:
- Sotheby’s New York, October 20. 1984, lot 10
- Collection of the Committee to Furnish The President’s House, Endowment Association, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
- Sotheby’s New York, 21 April 1989
- Private collection, the Netherlands
Lacquerware originated in China and the very first East-Asian lacquer to arrive in Europe was Chinese lacquer. After lacquer was introduced in Japan in the 6th century or earlier, it became
part and parcel of Japanese culture and the Japanese eventually surpassed the lacquer of their Chinese and Korean teachers in quality and refinement. The Portuguese arrived in Japan in the early 16th century, recognizing the superior quality of Japanese lacquer, and were the first foreigners to order Japanese lacquer work to their taste at the end of the century. This Namban (for the Barbarians) lacquer is characterized by the use of gold and silver powder, together with mother-of- pearl inlays, showing dense vine patterns, covering the whole surface of the often typical Portuguese formed objects.
After the Portuguese were banned from Japan in 1639, because of their proselytising, the Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan. The style of lacquer ordered by the Dutch changed to a pictorial style without the use of mother-of-pearl and eventually with sparce decorations on a dominant black ground, mainly on two-door cabinets and coffers; very much in line with their Calvinist belief and fashion.
The present cabinet is a very luxurious, expensive object and initially only the VOC could invest the sums required to buy this type of lacquered cabinets. However, in 1693 the VOC had to economise and abruptly ceased to buy lacquer. Private traders took over, but they rarely could afford large pieces and reverted to smaller objects.
A Japanese Export Lacquer Plaque Depicting the Palace of Versailles
Attributed to the Sasaya Workshop, Nagasaki, circa 1788
Lacquer on copper ground, decorated in gold hiramaki-e and silver togidashi-e, inscribed on the reverse ‘Vue de Versailles’.
H. 16 x W. 28.5 cm
Provenance:
Commissioned by Johan Frederik, Baron van Reede tot de Parkeler (1757-1802) circa 1788 (by repute)
Barend Groen Antiquaire, Amsterdam (1966)
G. de Boer, Amsterdam
Acquired by the previous owner from a London dealer
Lacquer panels with European subjects were popular VOC commissions in late 18th-century Japan, produced under the Tokugawa sakoku policy. This panel likely derives from an engraving by Jan Caspar Philips (1690-1775). Similar works by the Sasaya Workshop, known for topographical and historical subjects, are in the Rijksmuseum and Tokyo National Museum.
For comparable examples, see O. Impey & C. Jörg, Japanese Export Lacquer 1580-1850 (2005), pp. 52-54.
An extremely important and rare Japanese Namban Sawasa Reliquary Crucifix cross
Momoyama-period, late 16th century/early 17th century
Alloy of red copper, gold, silver and arsenic with black lacquer and gold.
H. 19.5 x W. 14 x D. 2.6 cm
The cross on one side has the crucified Christ with the crown of thorns on his head. Above is the sacred monogram INRI, i.e., Iesus Nasareus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews). Below, the pillar at which Jesus was scourged and the skull with crossbones signify Golgotha, the Place of the Skull. To his left and right are two implements of passion: the hammer used to nail Christ to the cross and the pincers used to remove the nails when Christ was taken down.
On the reverse of the cross, under a crown, is the figure of the Virgin as the Immaculate Conception, standing on the disc of the moon and holding the Child. On both sides, flying angels are depicted. Surrounding her feet and throughout the design are the flowers of the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume), known in Japanese as ume, symbolizing beauty, purity, and longevity as they bloom in winter. At the foot of the cross stands the figure of John.
By unscrewing the knob at the bottom, the two sides hinge open, revealing several compartments for holding small relics. The crucifix dates from the brief decades during which Christianity was tolerated in feudal Japan. These crucifixes were produced for the Portuguese stationed in Asia but also for Japanese converts to Christianity, introduced to the faith by the Jesuits. It is possible that Jesuit priests gave them as diplomatic gifts to powerful daimyo (warlords) and samurai in their courts after successfully converting them to Christianity.
Conversions began with the arrival of the Jesuit Father Francis Xavier (1506–1552) in 1549 in Kagoshima, the southernmost province of Kyushu. The priest’s holy virtue and strength of character deeply impressed
the daimyo of Hirado, leading to his conversion along with many of his samurai. After a year, Francis Xavier returned to Portugal, but his mission was successfully continued by Jesuit priests. The Japanese not only adopted Christianity but also embraced elements of Portuguese culture, including fashion, smoking tobacco in clay pipes, and wearing crucifixes and rosaries as fashionable accessories.
With the arrival of Spanish Franciscans, a rivalry developed between them and the Portuguese Jesuits, both for spiritual influence and commercial interests. Christianity became entangled in domestic and foreign political struggles, even backing a revolt by Christian samurai against the Shogun. This led to a series of edicts prohibiting Christianity, culminating in the total expulsion of the Portuguese and Spaniards from Japan in 1639.
Afterwards, only the Dutch were permitted to remain in Japan, confined to the small island of Deshima in Nagasaki Bay. Their presence was conditional: they were forbidden from importing Bibles or any other Christian literature, displaying Christian objects, or practicing their religion publicly. Today, only a few examples of these crucifixes are known to exist. Apart from two in the Victoria & Albert Museum (one illustrated in Sawasa, Japanese Export Art in Black and Gold, 1650–1800, p. 24), one is in the Tokyo National Museum, and another in the Soares dos Reis Museum in Porto. Additionally, three or four more are known to be in private Portuguese collections.
A pair of Japanese sawasa or ‘Tonkin-ware’ ewers for the Islamic market
Japan or Tonkin, 17th century
Each bulbous body is adorned with a double-gourd-shaped cartouche on each flank, showing detailed scenes of songbirds on prunus branches and ducks in a lotus pond in raised and openwork relief, surrounded by finely chiselled leafy vines. The necks feature two cartouches too, each containing a chilong dragon crawling up. The S-shaped spouts emerge from a chiselled Devine beast’s head, and each loop handle ends in a ruyi-shaped cartouche. Lastly, each ewer rests on a pierced, flared base and has a cover topped with a Buddhist shishi lion finial.
H. 30 cm (each)
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
This pair of highly refined ewers showcases the cross-pollination of Chinese, Persian, and Japanese artistic tradition and a Dutch nose for trade. Inspired by 16th-century Chinese ceramic vessels, this pair of ewers reflects the Persian metalworking influences, particularly evident in the elongated necks and domed lids. The Chinese started producing export wares for the Islamic market early on, an idea cleverly copied by the Dutch, who simply copied the idea. Probably - within the shadows of private trade (read: smuggeling), a Dutchman ordered ewers like the ones present in Japan or Tonkin, catering to the Islamic niche market. Surely, he was able to sell them for good profit upon arrival in a port with a VOC trade post such as Al Mukha (Mocca) in Yemen or Bandar-e Abbas (Gamron), Fort Mosselstein at Kharg Island, or Bandar-e Kong in Persia.
For a comparable ewer, see: R. Mowry, China’s Renaissance in Bronze: The Robert H. Clague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes, 1100-1900, Phoenix, 1992, pp. 131-136, pl. 26, and for another pair of bulbous ewers, but in lacquer and with European ormulu mounts, see the Louvre collection (inv.no. MR 380 85).
A Japanese sawasa wine ewer Nagasaki or Tonkin, 18th century
The lobed pot, decorated with panels with gilt and incised floral motifs on the body, has a straight-lined handle and elegant spout. A shishi lion crowns the rounded
Kawahara Keiga (1786 - c. 1860)
Kunchi festival, Nagasaki
Sumi ink and colour on silk, H. 40 x W. 57 cm.
Depicted is the most important festival in Nagasaki, the Kunchi festival. Originally held on the 7th to the 9th day of the 9th month, it is now celebrated annually on the same dates in October. During this event, women from Maruyama-machi, the district of the tearooms and brothels in Nagasaki, perform dances‚—first at the Suwa Shinto shrine, followed by performances at various locations throughout the town. Another depiction of the Kunchi festival by Kawahara Keiga is in the collection of the Museum of World Cultures in Leiden (RV-360-7797).
We are grateful to Prof. Matthi Forrer for his assistance in writing this catalogue entry.
Published by Guus Röell and Dickie Zebregs
Tefaf 2025
Amsterdam 1017DP, Keizersgracht 541-543 dickie@zebregsroell.com tel. +31 620743671
Maastricht 6211 LN, Tongersestraat 2 guus.roell@xs4all.nl tel. +31 653211649 (by appointment only)
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Photography
Michiel Stokmans
