A. Aardewerk

30/10/2025

The Schermeer’s Protector – Silver with a Story

This elegant silver brazier tells the fascinating story of the North Holland land reclamations – a triumph of Dutch innovation in water management.

After the successful drainage of the Beemster, work began in 1633 to reclaim the Schermeer – an ambitious project made possible by 52 windmills and remarkable engineering. More than a century later, in 1792, the local water authorities of the Schermer commissioned this silver piece from Amsterdam silversmith Martinus Logerath.

In 1793, it was presented to Reverend Jakobus Weldijk as a token of appreciation for his service. Engraved with Archangel Michael, protector of the Schermeer, and surrounded by symbols of land and water, the piece beautifully reflects the spirit of its time – where art, faith, and ingenuity met in silver.

Discover The Schermeer’s Protector and other remarkable examples of Dutch silver at PAN Amsterdam, stand 105.

29/10/2025

Zen in Gold and Jade

This Art Deco bonsai tree brooch — with its carved nephrite leaves, red enamel pot and diamond-set rim — captures the 1920s fascination with Japanese aesthetics and nature’s perfect form.
This refined jewel was made by Ernst Paltscho, Austrian Court Jeweller since 1889.

During this period, designers looked to distant cultures for inspiration, incorporating materials such as onyx, coral, jade, lapis lazuli and nephrite into their creations. Their renewed dialogue with Japanese art brought a sense of harmony and restraint to modern design. Paltscho’s stylised bonsai is zen in gold and jade. Discover it at stand 105 .

28/10/2025

Election fever? We've known it for centuries!

In the 18th century, fierce debates raged between the Patriots and the Orangists – the Kezen and the Zwijnen. Even silver became politically charged. 💬
What was once dangerous to own is now fascinating to collect.
✨ Discover this political silver at PAN Amsterdam, stand 105.

www.aardewerk.com

03/10/2025

PAN Amsterdam
2-9 November 2025
Stand 105.
www.pan.nl

18/09/2025

Our highly valued colleague Bas Hesselink is sadly no longer with us.

😢 Onze boekenexpert Bas Hesselink is op 3 september op 81-jarige leeftijd onverwacht overleden. Ruim twintig jaar was hij een vertrouwd gezicht bij Tussen Kunst en Kitsch. Hij groeide uit tot dé boekenexpert van het programma en maakte enorme indruk met zijn brede kennis van boeken, prenten en handschriften.

Bas blijft voor altijd verbonden met het programma – en zal ook nog te zien zijn in het nieuwe seizoen dit najaar.

Lees het in memoriam in de reacties 👇

21/03/2025

TEFAF has come to an end and we would like to thank all art lovers who came to see us, the Tefaf team and everybody involved to make our 30th edition special! Hope to see you all next year.

19/03/2025

Do come and have a look at the contents of these elegant cutlery boxes stand 238.
They are lined with rosewood veneer in open book pattern and inlaid with a band of alternating palm wood and ebony. All the mounts and feet are made of silver, entirely in the Louis XVI style, decorated with garlands, rosettes and medallions. The boxes contain beautiful and very rare sets of eighteen large and eighteen small silver spoons and forks, all made in The Hague in 1794 by Martinus van Stapele.

18/03/2025

This platinum, diamond, and sapphire ballerina ring was made by Oscar Heyman Brothers in New York around 1970. In the 1950s, Oscar Heyman introduced the iconic ballerina ring, so named for its resemblance to the graceful silhouette and movement of a ballerina’s tutu. The central sapphire is encircled by a halo of tapered baguette diamonds arranged in a radiating, flared design. Tapered baguette-cut diamonds are particularly suitable for this purpose, as they emanate from the centre and reflect light in linear flashes. Each hand-cut gemstone requires perfect shaping and precise setting to form an unbroken surround. Ballerina rings quickly became an essential addition to jewellery collections in the 1950s, coinciding with a trend for more extravagant cocktail rings.

17/03/2025

This antique miniature silver kettle on stand is made in Amsterdam around 1760 by Jan Bonket.
The melon-shaped kettle stands on a brazier with three cast feet, each in the form of a gnarled branch with leaves surrounding the forged body of the kettle. The cover is decorated with flowers. The hinged handle of the kettle is also decorated with leaf motifs.
A kettle on stand or bouilloir, was used when drinking tea. The small Chinese rice wine pots that came with the tea on the VOC ships served as a model for the European teapot in our area. Very strong tea was brewed in them. A small layer of tea was poured into a cup and deluted with hot water from a kettle, the bouilloir (bouillir = boiling). This way, a relatively large number of cups of tea could be poured from a small teapot.

Height 9.5 cm.
Weight 76 grams.

15/03/2025

These three beakers are among the rarest models made in Dutch silver. Wine beakers like these were made exclusively for domestic use. Although we know that many were made in the Netherlands in the 17th century, we now encounter them very rarely.
The Netherlands never had a significant wine production and had to rely on imports. In the 17th century most of the wine came from France and Germany, so wine was expensive and therefore mainly available to the upper classes. It is not surprising that expensive drinking vessels were made for it.
Do come and see them , stand 238.

13/03/2025

This captivating Art Nouveau pendant embodies the spirit of spring with its delicate budding branch design and luminous blue-green and soft purple enamel. It was created by René Lalique around 1900 using 18-carat gold, enamel, glass, and amethyst. Do come and see this jewel in person at stand 238 at TEFAF.

11/03/2025

TEFAF is all about treasure hunting. And you will be able to start doing just that at the end of this week.
This antique Dutch silver miniature hunter with greyhound was made in Amsterdam in 1759 by Arnoldus van Geffen.