Large Dutch Delft chinoiserie plate from ‘De Paauw’

This earthenware plate has a beautiful dense and deep blue color, finished with black. In the middle we can see two Long Eliza’s in a fenced garden. On the left side of the fence there is an incense burner and cache-pot displayed.

Long Eliza is an old common name for the decoration on Chinese export porcelain featuring elegant, slim and long women. The Dutch are credited with giving this Chinese export pattern its name ‘Lange Lijzen’ (or loosely translated Tall Eliza), which is typical for the Kangxi period (1662-1722). This of course did not go unnoticed by the Delft potters. The broad border of the plate is not decorated with a pattern but with similar scenes with lots of space and white in between. This is a typical element derived from the Chinese transitional period porcelain (1621-1662).

The high-quality decoration of this plate is very recognizable for factory ‘De Paauw’ (The Peacock). The workshop was active from 1651-1774 on the addresses Koornmarkt and Oude Delft, in Delft. Before, in these buildings there was a beer brewery by Jacob Adriaensz Paauw (1558-1620), who also had been major of the Delft City. It was common to use the former name of the older factory (that were in most cases beer breweries) that were located in the pledge before the potters settled in there. A 'fire inspection' from 1668 mentions the presence of one kiln to fire the pottery, but around 1730 two kilns were producing. In 1775 the Paauw went bankrupt. In the 18th century, ways of making Chinese quality porcelain were developed through Europe. By the end of the 18th century the popularity of Delft pottery is rapidly declining and one company after another must close.

Condition: Very good, some light retouches to the edge.