17th Century Naive Dutch Antique Delft Tile of a Hound c.1690

This is a tin-glazed earthenware tile, painted in cobalt blue with a hound standing in profile. The dog stands on a hatched mound of ground between two short lengths of post-and-rail fencing. The painter drew the outline first in a firm dark line and then filled the body with a pale wash. The pendulous ear and the tip of the tail are picked out in a deeper, almost black blue. The tail is raised, the muzzle lifted, and the brow carries two quick strokes, which give the dog an expression somewhere between alert and faintly quizzical. The scene sits within a finely drawn double circle. In each corner is an ox-head (ossekop) ornament, in the reduced loop-and-stroke form the motif had reached by the later seventeenth century.

Animal tiles in double circles were among the best-loved designs of the Dutch tile industry in the second half of the seventeenth century. They were made in great numbers for fireplace surrounds, skirtings and kitchen walls. Painters worked from pounced stencils but finished each tile freehand, so every tile has its own character. This hound has more personality in the drawing than most.

Provenance: Northern Netherlands, late 17th century, circa 1690.

Material: Tin-glazed earthenware.

Condition: Good, honest condition for its age. There is a small loss to the upper right corner. The bevelled edges show the usual fritting and glaze loss, with the buff body showing through as a warm ochre border. The glaze has scattered iron specks and small firing pits, and there is light surface wear. The reverse has old mortar residue, a small hole and a network of fine surface fissures. There are no apparent restorations.

Dimensions: 4½ in (11.4 cm) square; ⅜ in (1.0 cm) thick