On this day in 1664, Pieter Stuyvesant, director general of Nieuw Amsterdam, officially surrendered the territory to the English. Soon the British re-named it New York—after the Duke of York, who would one day become King James II.
Under Dutch control, Fort Amsterdam—at the tip of Manhattan, just below what is modern-day Bowling Green—had guarded the entry to the Hudson River and the highly-profitable fur trapping business run by the Dutch East India Company. England and the Dutch were at peace—or so the Dutch thought—until one day when four British frigates pulled into Nieuw Amsterdam Harbor and demanded the Dutch surrender. Soon after, the Second Anglo-Dutch War broke out.
Some 250 years later, after the Dutch had ceded much of their imperial ambition (in New York, at least), they crafted the lovely Gouda pitcher, pictured above. Made in the 1910’s or 1920’s, it is characterized by a tasteful blend of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Glazed in not-too-bright colors, it show that the Dutch still had great taste—whether we’re talking about art pottery or real estate.
Please click upon the photo above to learn more about this handsome ceramic piece.
LEO Design's Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed. While we contemplate our next shop location, please visit our on-line store which continues to operate (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
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