Classical buste

This rare blue-and-white tin-glazed earthenware bust dates to the late 17th century. Earthenware of this period is renowned not only for its painted decoration but also for the start of its ambitious figurative sculptural production. Busts such as these were made using sophisticated multi-part plaster molds, often taken from sculpted clay or wax models that themselves could be derived from classical sculpture or contemporary engravings. These molds were valuable workshop assets and were frequently reused, repaired, and subtly reworked, which explains why closely related busts can survive with small but telling differences in facial detail.
Unlike flat wares, large sculptural objects were hollow-cast to reduce weight and stress during firing, with separate sections joined by hand while still leather-hard. Tool marks and seam lines, sometimes still faintly visible beneath the glaze, are important indicators of authentic 17th-century production. Achieving sharp facial features under a thick tin glaze was particularly difficult, as the glaze tends to soften contours during firing; expressive eyes, noses, and mouths therefore signal a highly skilled modeler and kiln master. The high failure rate in the kiln made successful busts costly luxury objects.
 
Related examples are preserved in museum collections such as Paleis Het Loo and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The present bust represents a classical, imperial figure inspired by Roman antiquity. There are a few other comparable classical Delft potted busts known, such as a figure of Minerva or Alexander the Great (Inventory nr. RL 5, Paleis het Loo). Although this bust has not been marked, it is obvious that it was made by a high skilled potter. There is a possibility that this bust can be attributed to for example the well known Delft factory De Grieksche A (1657-1818), but early high skilled factories  from Berlin or French cannot be excluded.

While the exact identity of the figure remains under study, it most likely represent Julius Caesar (100–44 BC). Also a found print of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) comes very close to the bust. Both celebrated Roman statesmen frequently portrayed in classical sculpture. This bust stands as a vivid testament to technical ingenuity and its fascination with classical antiquity. 

Reference
For comparable and related examples, see:
-Groninger Museum, object nr. 1960.0076. (Buste women)
-Kunstmuseum Den Haag, inventory nr. 0400577. (Buste women)
-Kunstmuseum Den Haag, inventory nr. 0400576. (Buste women)
-Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire, inventory nr. Ev.736. (Buste women)
-Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire, inventory nr. Ev.730B. (Buste man)
-Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire, inventory nr. Ev.739. (Buste man)
-Museum of fine arts Boston, accession nr. 2012.589. (Buste of Peter the Great)
-National Ceramics Museum at Sèvres, acquisiton 2021.2.1 Drouot le 24 septembre 2021. (Buste man or Alexander the Great)
-Paleis het Loo, inventory nr. RL 1042; RL 1161. (Buste of orientalists)
-Paleis het Loo, inventory nr. RL 5. (Buste of Minerva or Alexander the Great)
-Rijksmuseum, inventory nr. BK-NM-12400-93. (Buste of Willem III)
-Rijksmuseum, inventory nr. BK-1960-11. (Buste of Mary)
-Stadtmuseum Berlin, inventory nr. KGK 78/2. (Figure)
-*In that case see also: Christies New York, the 3th February 2024, 'Elegance & Wonder: The Jordan Saunders Collection', lot nr. 1083.
-The Metropolitan Museum of Art, object nr. 36.159.2. (Buste of Charles I)

Condition: UV-Checked. No restorations. The buste is in very good condition with the typical wear normal for antique earthenware. The back has a manufacturing fault filled with tin glaze.

     
 ‘Buste van Julius Caesar en buste van Pompeius’,                           ‘Buste van Marcus Tullius Cicero’, Hans Witdoeck’ 1638.
source: www.rijksmuseum.com