Delft – Polychrome Cow Figurines, 18th century

This pair of Delftware recumbent cow figurines, dating to the late 18th century, exemplifies the Dutch tradition of molded earthenware crafted in the city of Delft. They are cast ‘affronté’ facing each other. The decoration in iron-red, yellow, green, cobalt and manganese is refined.

Adoring cows or bulls with floral wreaths harks back to a seventeenth century custom. Every year the butchers guild held a parade with the prize-winning cows and bulls, which were lavishly adorned with flowers and floral wreaths, and their horns and hoofs painted.

By the 18th century, these decorative animals became popular in Dutch households, symbolizing pastoral life and reflecting the agrarian economy. The tradition of depicting cows in Delftware continued into the late 1700s, with various factories producing such figures.

Condition: Wear consistent with age; losses to horns and earns. No restorations

• Width: 15 centimeters
• Height: 12 centimeters
• Depth: 7 centimeters