Robert Aronson, fifth generation head of Aronson Antiquairs of Amsterdam, (www.aronson.com), the 135-year old antique Delft dealers, has announced the sale of a pair of spectacularly rare and important c1695 Delft Pyramidal Flower Vases, or Tulipières, to a private collector in England.

The extremely rare 41 inch tall Tulipières are now on view at the Aronson Stand No 14 at the 22^nd annual WINTER ANTIQUES SHOW in New York at the Park Avenue Armory from January 22 through January 31, 2016.

            Aronson said the joy of selling these immense Tulipières matches his excitement to see them going into a private collection, rather than an institution.     Of the handful of similarly sized rare Tulipières, almost all are in museums or institutions including Buckingham Palace, Chatsworth, Colonial Williamsburg, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Rijksmuseum, The Ludwig Collection, the Collection of HRH The Aga Khan and the Victoria & Albert. The lavish 17^th century Blue and White Delft Pyramidal Tulipières have been in the same family for more than a century.  Aronson and his late Father, David Aronson, first saw the pair 15 years ago in the home of the Belgian couple who have a prized Delft collection.  They said they would contact the Aronsons when the time was right to sell the very important Delt masterworks.  Last summer they called and Robert Aronson was thrilled to acquire them. The near seven figure asking price was commensurate with the rarity and quality of the flower vases, Aronson says.

            While several museums expressed interest in the pair the collectors from the United Kingdom were the first to confirm by telephone yesterday their offer to buy. He made the point that having them go into a private collection means they could perhaps one day again be available on the open market.  These are the first of this size he has had in his 25 year career with the Aronson firm and no similarly monumental pair of Tulipières has been offered on the open market since 1991. 

Robert Aronson adds that “These exceptionally rare and large Delft Pyramidal Flower Vases are attributed to Dirck Witsenburgh, an owner of The White Star (De Witte Ster) factory and bear the company’s distinctive six pointed star, letter F 20 and numeral 120 of the acclaimed Delft maker.  They date to 1695 and have been in the same Belgian family since before 1913.

“When my Father and I first saw the Tulipières they dominated the room and immediately captured our attention.  We were allowed to deconstruct them and to look at every segment and found the vases in remarkably good condition.  We immediately asked about purchasing them but were told they were not for sale.  However, the couple promised that when they were ready to sell, they would come to us. I view this as a testament to the relationship my family has had with the couple over many years that this past summer they were at last offered for sale.

“Acquiring these amazing Tulipières now is something beyond my hope and expectations as I had so recently had been able to acquire an extraordinary pair of monumental Figural vases modelled on the royal couple King William III and Queen Mary II, which I had shown at the 2015 Winter Antiques Show.  They are now in the collection of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.  I had not even hoped to find something as important to show at this year’s Winter Antiques Show until I acquired this magical pair of Pyramidal vases.”

Aronson says that while Pyramidal vases, or vases with spouts, have long been referred to as “tulip vases” they really were intended to display all kinds of flowers.  “In fact, the 19^th century misnomer grew out of a desire to combine 17^th century Delft vases with the Dutch ‘Tulipmania’ story, even though the Tulip bulb market had burst in 1637 -- some half century before the finest Delft masterworks were created.”  Major collections around the world often feature Delft Flower Vases, including those of Queen Mary Stuart herself, an avid collector of blue and white objects.”

For Robert Aronson, who celebrated his 25^th anniversary with the company last year, the experience of visiting the Belgian couple’s home with his father, who died in 2007, is still fresh in his mind.  “I can still recall the fragrance of the pear and apple trees in the garden just outside the room.”

BACKGROUND

Dutch Delftware has been handmade in Holland for more than 400 years.  It began when trade with Italy, Spain and Portugal brought earthenware to the Netherlands. By the 17^th century the Dutch East India Company had introduced Europe to Chinese porcelain and exports flourished as the West strived to duplicate the Chinese formula for fine blue and white porcelain. When war in China interrupted the trade, potters in Delft expanded their businesses to create earthenware versions of ‘porcelain.’ At the height of production The Guild of Saint Luke counted almost 40 factories in the small city of Delft. They were innovative and adapted to fill the needs of clients all over Europe, with the elegant term ‘faience’ becoming synonymous with 'delftware.’ The word “Delftware” has long been associated with a visit to Holland.

For over 135 years Aronson Antiquairs has sought to carry the very finest examples of Delft in the full range of forms and patterns, from the extremely rare Black Delft to Japanese Imari designs and the instantly recognizable Blue and White and Chinoiserie motifs in platters, figures, vases, bowls and plaque forms. Robert Aronson serves on the Executive Board of TEFAF and is chairman of the Royal Dutch Antique Dealers Association. He recently provided sponsorship support to the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague to show a distinguished collection of antique Delft titled “Delftware Wonderware.”