BK-1987-6

About this artwork

Onderschotel (van een terinne) van porselein. De rand is versierd met in groen en bietenrood beschilderde rocaille-ornamenten in reliëf. Op het plat en in vier van de compartimenten op de rand een figuur op een grondje in bietenrood. Gemerkt: M:ol in bietenrood.

Art Historical Context

This delicate porcelain saucer, created around 1775 by Manufacture Oud-Loosdrecht in the Netherlands, once formed part of an elegant tureen set. Standing just 3 centimeters high with a diameter of 20.5 centimeters, it exemplifies the refined tableware during the final flourishing of Dutch porcelain manufacture. The factory, active in the late eighteenth century, sought to rival the prestige of Meissen and Sèvres while adapting fashionable European tastes to local production. The piece displays characteristic Rococo ornament in raised rocaille motifs, painted in soft green and the distinctive beetroot-red favored by the workshop. Four figural scenes in the same red appear both on the central well and within compartments on the rim, each figure poised on a small patch of ground. The mark “M:ol” in beetroot red confirms its origin and highlights the factory’s practice of using this vibrant color for both decoration and identification. Such saucers reveal the period’s emphasis on coordinated, sculptural dining services that combined utility with sculptural elegance. Today, BK-1987-6 offers visitors a tangible connection to the inventive spirit of Dutch ceramic artists who blended relief modeling, delicate painting, and luxurious color to elevate everyday objects into small works of art.