Gouda pottery (finely painted) pottery consists of clay, quartz and foreign clay, fired and then covered with a matt or translucent glaze that could then be painted (pottery) and fired again. This industry developed from the 17th century, producing both coarse and fine pottery. Nowadays, all porous earthenware, formed in molds, painted or not, and provided with a layer of glaze, is indicated by the word plateel. The most prominent (and even world famous) pottery bakeries not only made utility pottery, but were best known for artistic decorative pottery. By attracting talented artists and designers, craftsmanship was combined with artistry in the bakeries. For example, we see art nouveau and art deco prominently represented in ceramic products from the Netherlands. In the twenties and thirties of the 20th century, the pottery industry in Gouda was one of the most important industries with a lot of employment. Around the First World War, Theodoor Colenbrander (1841-1930) was one of the best-known artists, who realized his artistic ideas in and on ceramics. After the Second World War, the pottery industry in the Netherlands initially revived strongly, but it started to decline in the mid-1960s. The expensive products of the traditional Dutch ceramic industry had to compete with cheap mass products from abroad. Here we see a fine artistic Gouda matte glossy pottery object in the shape of an ashtray. This is very beautifully hand painted on the inside with a rather dark polychrome stylized floral decoration on a matte greenish lead glaze. It dates back to the Art Nouveau period. The side has a monochrome black enamel color. The underside is also glazed in a light green color and is engraved with a triangle and a “V”, perhaps the markings of the molding maker (s), and also with underglaze blue dots in the shape of a circle. There are three small remnants of prons positioned in the shape of a triangle. I do not know the relevant pottery partnership, perhaps South Holland. Still beautifully executed work.

Condition: perfect.