Dutch Delft Blue and White Biblical Plate, c. 1760-80

Dutch Delft blue and white biblical plate painted with a scene from Genesis 21:17, the cavetto with Greek key and the border with leaf and geometric designs, De Porseleyne Lamptkan (The Porcelain Jug) factory.

Holland c. 1760-80
9" diameter

PRICE: $650

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Condition: Fine condition with the typical minor rim chips. No cracks or restoration.

The King James version of Genesis 21:17 reads, "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is."

In this charming rendering of the Old Testament passage, the young boy, separated from his mother, Hagar, sits to the left clutching what appears to be a blanket. Hagar sits to the right in despair, their isolation from one another accentuated by the tree and the landscape. The angel comforts Hagar not from above, but standing before her in a robe with wings outstretched and gesturing to heaven, reassuring her that God has heard her son.

The Greek key in the cavetto is wonderfully reinterpreted in the border, where truncated and swirling segments fill the spaces between the leaves. For another plate from the same factory with a similarly modified Greek key border, see Leon-Paul van Geenen, "Dutch Delftware, Marks and Factories", 2017, p. 223 illustration 20.30.