Lavabo - Tin - 50 cm, 3 kg

Monumental 18th-Century Japanned Tin Spouted Coffee Urn with Flower Painting, ca. 1800

Description:
Rare and exceptionally elaborately executed 18th-century Dutch tin spouted coffee urn (coffee urn) in original lacquer paint (Japanned pewter), dating to around 1740–1770.

The pear-shaped body rests on three gracefully curving cabriole feet with scroll-bracket mounts, ending in the original turned wooden ball feet (riveted to the tin on the underside).

At the rear is a tall, stepped, S-shaped handle with thumb rest, and at the front the original tap with an open-work heart-shaped handle. The tall domed lid is crowned by a turned wooden knob with a brass top.

The urn retains its original 18th-century lacquer decoration: a dark ground with a subtly red-brown, tortoiseshell-like marbling, richly hand-painted on the front in gold and silver tones with a lush bouquet of flowers (including roses and cup-shaped blossoms) surrounded by fluttering butterflies. The rim of the lid, the neck, and the bases of the feet are accented with fine floral tendrils and scroll motifs.

Inside the lid there is an old engraved owner's inscription along the rim.

Specifications & Condition:
Origin: Netherlands (probably Amsterdam or North Holland / Friesland)
Dating: Mid-18th century, ca. 1740–1770 (Louis XV)
Material: Tin with original 18th-century lacquer painting, turned wooden ball feet, and lid knob

Dimensions: Height 50 cm
Weight: ca. 3,000 g (3 kg)

Condition: In very good, authentic, unrestored condition. The lacquer shows the characteristic aging craquelure and localized wear/peeling (especially on the lid and at the rear by the handle from use), but the large decorative painting on the front is exceptionally beautiful and well preserved for an 18th-century japanned object.