Dutch Delft Polychrome Model of a Cow

Details

Description

Dutch Delft Polychrome Model of a Cow,
Circa 1760

The Dutch Delft pottery figure depicts a standing cow on a … Read more Dutch Delft Polychrome Model of a Cow,
Circa 1760

The Dutch Delft pottery figure depicts a standing cow on a hollow rectangular green base with canted corners, the top in green to depict grass and around the edge are painted flowers. Around her neck and body are garlands of flowers.

Dimensions: 6 1/2 inches high x 9 1/4 inches wide x 3 1/2 inches deep (16.51cm high x 23.50cm wide x 8.89cm deep).

Provenance: Property from a Pennsylvania Collection
with Newby Antiques, London, England (1985).

Condition: Good with very minor wear to back edge of tail and one corner of base.

Reference:
(Aronson Delftware)

Delftware cows are inspired by a long-standing Dutch tradition. The Delft potters drew inspiration from the seventeenth-century custom of the Gilde-os (Guild Ox) parade, an annual festivity organized by the Butcher’s Guild in the Netherlands on the feast day of St. Luke—the patron saint of butchers, traditionally represented by the apocalyptic winged ox. This grand procession showcased the guild’s finest bull or cow, lavishly adorned with floral garlands, ribbons, and gilded horns, often topped with oranges. The decorated animal was paraded through the streets, accompanied by drummers and pipers, followed by singing and dancing guild members and townspeople. Following the parade, the ox was butchered, its meat served at the guild’s celebratory feast, with a portion donated to the church and the local poor. This tradition gave rise to the Dutch saying, ‘De gilde-os is op parade,’ meaning ‘This is a real feast!’—a phrase signifying abundance and celebration.

The enduring imagery of the Gilde-os found its way into Delftware figurines a century later. Some Delftware cow models even include small frogs and snakes in the grass at their feet, a likely reference to Dutch proverbs and allegories associated with life’s fleeting nature. In Dutch folklore, the toad symbolizes mortality, reinforcing the ephemeral fate of the well-adorned but soon-to-be-slaughtered ox. Similarly, the Dutch proverb ‘Er schuilt een adder in het gras’ (‘There lurks a snake in the grass’)—meaning hidden danger or deception—may allude to the cow’s cruel destiny.

(Ref: NY10790-nmix) See less