Ontwerptekening voor vaas met floraal en abstract decor.

Henri Breetvelt - Idiosyncratic designer

Although a reclusive man, Henri Breetvelt (1864-1923) could express himself in his ceramic designs. From 1900, he worked for two years as a designer and painter for the Koninklijke Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (‘Royal Pottery Factory Zuid-Holland’ ). After spending some time at other factories, he returned to the Gouda factory in 1916, where he was given his own studio and remained as artistic director to the end of his days.

Breetvelt was called a ‘decorative artist’: an artistic craftsman who experimented with material, technique and design. This is reflected in the huge variety of decorations that sometimes feature true-to-life flora and fauna, and other times abstract compositions (paintings) for which he drew inspiration from the recent modern art movement. The objects presented here offer a cross-section of Breetvelt’s very diverse yet always completely original designs for the Zuid-Holland factory, from true-to-nature to highly experimental.

Fantastical Forms
On paper, Breetvelt’s designs are almost more idiosyncratic than on ceramics, with flowing paint and vibrant colours. He made these studies before returning to the Koninklijke Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, when he worked as an independent decorative artist. The factory purchased them later. These are not true design drawings, as none of them were actually executed. This was probably how Breetvelt could indulge his creativity and find inspiration for future vases.

Deze kleurrijke aquarellen van Henri Breetvelt zijn ontwerpen voor vazen. Het ontwerp (decor) gaat heel mooi samen met de vorm van de vaas. In 1916 gaat Breetvelt voor de tweede keer voor Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland in Gouda werken. Deze aquarellen, die hij eerder heeft gemaakt, neemt hij mee. Uiteindelijk zijn deze ontwerpen nooit in productie gegaan.

Ontwerpen voor vazen 
1909-1916  |  Henri Breetvelt

These colourful water colours by Henri Breetvelt are designs for vases. The design (decor) matches the shape of the vase quite nicely. In 1916, Breetvelt started working for Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, an earthenware factory based in Gouda, for the second time. He brought these water colours, which he made at an earlier time, with him. Eventually, these designs never went into production.

Designs for vases 
1909-1916  |  Henri Breetvelt