Christiaan van der Hoef

Christiaan van der Hoef (1875 – 1933), a versatile artist and designer whose activities included sculpture, graphic art, ceramics and metal work, was one of the key designers and directors of Amstelhoek. Van der Hoef started designing pottery for the firm as early as 1898, using simple and clear forms based on Greek vases, decorated with restrained stylised natural or geometrical ornaments. In accordance with the Amstelhoek philosophy to revitalize Dutch craft with a combination of modern designs and traditional production methods, Van der Hoef used native river clay and historical decoration techniques such as inlay and slip decoration. The lyre-bird vase here offered is a fine example of an early Amstelhoek piece by Van der Hoef, showing the typical amphora model made from two types of clay (the ears red due to oxides) with an inlaid regular pattern of stylised lyre birds, a motif which was used by Van der Hoef in various works