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QA-2026-057
Gouda birdplate
A polychrome tray with a bird, made by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland in Gouda. It is in the M.V. (mat vogel, or "matte bird") pattern, model number 646, and carries the painter's mark of W. Willemsen.
- Every mark photographed and transcribed below
- Condition stated in full, including what is wrong with it
- Posted insured and tracked from the Netherlands
- Return within 14 days if it is not as described
About this piece
A bird perches on a branch with green, brown and ochre leaves and hanging buds. Around it are dotted bursts in blue and orange. The rim has two fine orange lines and a ring of blue and brown dots.
The underside is marked MV, 646, a small building mark, WW, Holland and Gouda. M.V. stands for mat vogel, or "matte bird". The pattern was produced from 1910 to 1931.
WW is the painter's mark of W. Willemsen, who worked for PZH from 1915 to 1934.
The tray has a crack that runs from the rim toward the centre. There is an old-looking repair at the rim. The glaze is finely crazed all over. See the condition notes.
Condition
- A crack runs from the lower rim toward the centre. It is visible on the front and the back.
- Yellowed material along the crack at the rim, front and back. It looks like an old repair and crosses the orange rim lines.
- Fine crazing across the whole glaze.
- Small glaze pinholes and specks on the underside, with a small round spot beside the crack.
- Light brown staining on the underside.
Details
| Object | Tray |
|---|---|
| Material | Glazed ceramic |
| Country | The Netherlands |
| Maker | Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH), Gouda; painter W. Willemsen |
| Period | Pattern produced 1910–1931 |
| Width | 30 cm (diameter) |
| Condition | hairline cracks and a restored chip, but structurally sound |
| Attribution | Marked: painter's mark WW (W. Willemsen) and model number 646 |
Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, Gouda
Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH) made pottery in Gouda. The M.V. pattern, short for mat vogel, was produced there from 1910 to 1931. This tray is model number 646. The painter's mark WW identifies W. Willemsen, who worked for PZH from 1915 to 1934.
How I read a mark strip