Two E.S.K.A.F. Vases Lot n° 17

1) Hildebrand Lucien "Hildo" Krop (Dutch, 1884-1970) Vase - 1928-1929 Cream glazed ceramic - 18 cm Inscribed on the bottom: Model 125 2) Cornelis van der Sluys (Dutch, 1881-1944) Sphere-shaped Vase - 1925-1930 Cream glazed ceramic - 21 cm Inscribed on the bottom: Model 337 Published: Wim Spitzen, Antoine Verschuuren, Eerste Steenwijker Kunst-Aardewerk Fabriek 1919-1934, Museum Princessenhof, Leeuwarden, 2000, cat.337 (ill. of the green version) Provenance: Collection of a gentleman, Brussels ESKAF, the acronym for Eerste Steenwijker Kunst Aardewerk Fabriek was established in 1919 by Hilbrand Ras and Hein Krop in Steenwijk, the Netherlands. The ambition of this factory was to produce art ceramics that were accessible to all and could be of daily use. Amongst the designers, we find Willem Hendrik van Norden (1883-1978), Cornelis van der Sluys (1881-1944), but also Hildo Krop (1884 - 1970), son of one of the founders, and by that time already a renowned sculptor in his own right and “city sculptor” of Amsterdam. ESKAF ceramics are very distinctive in their monumental character and are to be found in different colors. Often we find them in a typical mixture of black and green glazing, with a marble-like pattern. The black and cream-colored ceramics are harder to find, but allow us to better appreciate their pure and bold designs. The factory closed down in 1934, and over this short period it took its place as one of the most outstanding producers of ceramics of Dutch expressionism or the so-called “Amsterdamse school”. The group presented here (lots 12, 17, 18, 20, and 21) was united over decades by one single collector and is outstanding in both its quality of conservation as its diversity.