Posted 12 years ago
modifiedmom
(1 item)
I bought this beautiful planter pot at an estate sale in Los Angeles, CA. It has several markings on the bottom, but none that I can really make out. In the back of my mind I remember seeing this online somewhere before, but now I can find no information on it. Does anyone recognize the markings or the style of this piece? It is so beautiful with the engraved pattern and the bold colors. A real Mid Century classic!
dims: 6" diam x 6.5"H
It's a wonderful modernist planter by Dutch factory De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles. Flip the picture 90 degrees to the right and you'll see the Fles or flask. Below is the word Delft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Koninklijke_Porceleyne_Fles
I love it!
Look at the use of the Dutch orange!
Wow, that was fast. It has been sitting on my Cado Unit for months, and in just a few hours after posting the mystery is solved. Thank you so much, vetraio50. I agree, the orange is the bomb!
I just wish I knew who was the designer. I can't make out that mark right at the top. They are very traditional at the Fles but there were some break away moments of modernism. I think this is fairly rare. I love it!
Change the title. Flip the photos and there are some Dutch collectors who are sure to know more than me.
@Vetraio50 I think the signature says NF.
Super fab!
Really like this... the colours do it for me!...:-)
NF or CF?
CF would be a date code for 1961.
Will do some more research.
An update at this stage:
Around 1956 Theo Dobbelmann got involved with some experimentation at the tile section of the Fles factory. He had some very good company with the famous Sybren "Iep" Valkema. They set up an Experimental Section (De Experimentele Afdeling) and got involved in new techniques, new glazes, new forms etc.. All of this was a way of getting back on track in the post war years but with a non-traditional approach. As I said this is a most conservative factory. These guys saw ceramics as 'decorative art' (‘sier kunst’).
There were links with the Amsterdamse IVKNO aka later as the Rietveldacademie. Dobbelmann and Wim de Vries were able to get some of the students there to experiment. Some of the names are Lies Cosijn, Jet Sielcken, Adriek Westenenk, Nico Wijnberg, Hans Tieman, Dick Elffers and Nico Nagler.
The experimental section was shut down in 1977.
That is not the signature of Adriek Westenenk, nor Theo Dobbelmann, nor
Lies Cosijn, nor Harriët /Jet Sielcken, nor Henk Tieman, but I have a maybe on Adriek Westenenk. Still not sure.
Thanks again for all the great info. I haven't found a whole lot on my end so I really appreciate it!
Some other names I found associated with this factory are Jan van der Vaart, Johan van Loon, Sonja Landweer who all worked in Amsterdam shortly before 1960. After 1970 this part of the factory mainly dealt with stoneware, and such potters as Geert Lap, Leen Quist and Babs Haenan won international acclaim. Still, none of the signatures jive with the NF or WF marking on this pot. The search continues....
this is such a beautiful pot!