A Dutch silver potpourri

A Dutch silver potpourri

Johannes Arntzen

Arnhem, circa 1770

142 grams; 9.4 cm high; diameter 10.2 cm

The potpourri stands on a spreading plain base, above which the circular plain body widens, terminating in a thickened scalloped rim. The detachable domed chased lid is pierced with floral motifs, among others, and is topped with a flower stalk with leaves. Struck with the maker’s mark on the underside of the body, also struck with the control mark of 1807 on the lower body and inside the lid.

The use of porcelain potpourris was already known in 17th-century France. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the use of this object spread across the rest of Europe. The earliest examples were made of Chinese porcelain, often set in metal mounts. In the Netherlands, the earliest silver example was made in Deventer by Benjamin Overdorp. Especially in Zutphen, but also in Deventer, Doesburg, and Arnhem, silver potpourris were produced that are very similar in shape and size. The respective silversmiths all appear to have had connections to Zutphen.

Actually, potpourri is a mixture of dried flower petals, herbs, and spices, intended to mask unpleasant indoor odors. Later, the containers in which this fragrant mixture was placed also came to be called potpourris.

The silversmith Johannes Arntzen (ca. 1731–1807) was originally from Zutphen. It is likely he learned the silversmith’s craft there and lived there until 1757, when he became engaged to Catharina Steenhouwer. That same year, he registered as a citizen of Arnhem. To be registered as a master in the Arnhem silversmiths’ guild, Johannes Arntzen had to work for three more years with an Arnhem master silversmith, even though he claimed to have already worked for seven years under a master silversmith. However, this was a guild requirement. Thus in 1761 he was finally registered as a master. He later moved to Rhenen and Velp, where he married for the second time. His second wife was Machtelina Bastiaan. Their son Jan Hendrik Arntzen (1768 – after 1813) also became a silversmith in Arnhem.

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