Ovoid covered jar with flowering plants and antiquities c. 1700 - 1724

This anonymous, hand-painted jar, now in the Rijksmuseum, presents flowering plants and antiquities. We don't know the date of its making, but we might consider it as part of the broader history of the Dutch East India Company. The company imported ceramics from China and Japan from the early 17th century onwards, and Delftware became an important industry for Dutch potters who were trying to get in on the action of selling China. Note the blend of Chinese motifs and Dutch design. The flowering plants and antiquities reflect an increasing interest in botany and archeology among the upper classes of the Netherlands at this time. To fully understand this piece, we need to know more about the social conditions that shaped its production and consumption. Archival records from the Dutch East India Company, auction house catalogs, and period literature can give us more insight.