Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness thumbnail 1
Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness thumbnail 2
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This object consists of 3 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness

Tile Panel
1640 (dated)
Artist/Maker
De Swaen Workshop (maker)
Place of origin
Gouda (made)

This panel is painted with allegorical figures of Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness, and bears the date 1640. Based on a design by Joachim Wtewael for stained glass at St Janskerk in Gouda.

Object details

Categories
Tiles
Ceramics
Earthenware
Object type
Tile panel
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Panel
  • Panel
  • Panel
TitleLove, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Tin-glaze earthenware, painted
Brief description
Tile panel, 'Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness', De Swaen workshop, Gouda, 1640
Physical description
Large panel of 21 X 17 tiles, tinglazed earthenware painted in purple with an allegory of Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness.
Dimensions
  • Approx. width: 222cm
  • About height: 275cm
Marks and inscriptions
DE LIEFDE; EENDRAC[H]T; GETROVHEIT EN STANTVASTICH[HEI]T; ANNO 1640
Translation
Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness
Credit line
Given by Mr Henry Van der Bergh through Art Fund
Object history
This panel is said to have been found in a small farm house in Heekendorp near Gouda by a dealer H. Hamer who bought it for 428 guilders and sold it to the Collector Eelco M. Vis, who sold it to Henry van den Bergh who gave it to the V&A in 1923.
The Vis collection was exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1919.
Historical context
A smaller panel (21 X 6 tiles) showing a section of the same subject, showing Unity and Fidelity, is the in Museum het Catharina Gasthuis, Gouda. This panel is said to have been discovered in the 19th century in a house occupied by descendants of the Verswaen family who ran the De Swaen workshop.
Association
Vis, Eelco Martinus
Summary
This panel is painted with allegorical figures of Love, Fidelity, Unity and Steadfastness, and bears the date 1640. Based on a design by Joachim Wtewael for stained glass at St Janskerk in Gouda.
Bibliographic references
  • Rackham, Bernard. Dutch Tiles: The Van Den Bergh Gift. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1923, no.128.
  • Graves, Alun. Tiles and Tilework of Europe. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, fig. 4.15, p82.
  • Van den Berge, H. et al,'De Swaen' Geschiedenis en productie van een Goudse plateelbakkerij uit de zeventiende eeuw. Gouda, Otterloo: (2nd) 2002, pp. 50-58, fig 2
  • Decoratieve Nederlandsche Muurtegels uit de 16e en 17e eeuw, (collectie Vis) Tentoongesteld in het Stedelijk Museum te Amsterdam van 29 Maart tot 30 April 1919. Eenige aantekeningen door C. de Geus, architect. np. nd [1919], fig 1, pp. 11-12
  • See Object Information file in Ceramics and Glass Section offices.
Other number
Van Den Bergh 128 - Rackham (1923)
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.471:1 to 3-1923

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Record createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O94326/love-fidelity-unity-and-steadfastness-tile-panel-de-swaen-workshop/
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