Important 18th Century Tile Panel Depicting the Whale Hunt

View Similar Items

18th Century, Dutch Tile Painting of a Cat with Mouse

18th Century Rotterdam Dutch Delft Tiles Framed Pictures of Rearing Horses

Set of 16 Blue and White Delft Tiles with Animals and Figures, 18th Century

18th Century Dutch Delft Faience Floral Charger

18th Century Dutch Delft Shaped Chinoiserie Polychrome Plaque

Pair of Antique 18th Century Dutch Delft Faience Floral Plates

Framed Antique 17th-Century Dutch Delft Floral Aigrette Tile

Two 18th Century Antique Nautical Delft Tile Panels

Set of 6 Polychrome Dutch Delft Tiles with Ornamental Design

Framed Set of 4 Polychrome Dutch Delft Tiles with Flowers

Set of 4 Polychrome Dutch Delft Tiles with Ornamental Design

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 16

Important 18th Century Tile Panel Depicting the Whale Hunt

About the Item

Tile panel with the decoration of the whale hunt. Made in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Mid 18th century. This rare and fine painted tile panel, mural, or in this case more a tile painting is of large size of 42 tiles. It has been painted after an etching of Adolf van der Laan, after a drawing of Siewert van der Meulen, on a true scale. See the last picture for an image of the etching. The painting is very detailed and contains many wonderful scenes. In the front, we see a scene where the whale is caught by sailors in sloops. On the right of that scene, we see a three-master by which the sailors sailed to the northern seas. An interesting detail is that two of the sloops bear the initials WS. Unfortunately, we do not know who's initials it is, but most likely it is the initials from one of the owners of a whaling company from the 17th or 18th century. On the far right, we see two Ice Bears on the ice and a Walrus in the waves. Further, the are in the background many more ships, sloops, and whales to discover. The painting and execution of the tiles are of exceptional quality. This tile panel must have been made by one of the best tile atteliers of that time. The cities of Rotterdam en Amsterdam were famous for their exceptionally high-quality tile production and exported their tiles worldwide to castles, palaces, and homes in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Russia and Brazil. This piece should not be considered a tile panel but as a maritime painting. Only three of these pieces are known to have survived the centuries. One is in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Massachusetts, USA. One was in the collection of Museum de Moriaen, Gouda, The Netherlands, now in a Dutch private collection. This piece is the third and is acquired from a private collection from the UK. The tiles are mounted on a lightweight aluminum panel in a modern frame. On the backside a space is left open to show the original numbering of the tiles. The 19th-century oak wood frame is still available. Before, the tiles were mounted on a wooden framework. Because of the tension and the movement of the wood, quite a number of tiles were broken. Those tiles are now professionally restored. Four additional pictures give an idea of displaying an eye-catching piece like this. Also with adding a frame, it gets a totally different look.

Dimensions:
Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 36.62 in (93 cm)Depth: 0.99 in (2.5 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ceramic,Glazed,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
Netherlands
Period:
Mid-18th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1750
Condition:
Repaired: The tiles were in the 19th century mounted on a wooden framework. Because of the tension and the movement of the wood, quite a number of tiles were broken. Those tiles are now professionally restored. No pieces were missing. All is original. Wear consistent with age and use. The tile panel has been professionally mounted on a lightweight aluminum hexagon board.
Seller Location:
AMSTERDAM, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6389227576972