The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 16, 2026

White ceramic flower pyramid painted with blue details with a hexagonal base supporting six tiers, narrowing with each tier. On the base each side features columns flanking a person. Atop, on each corner a blue painted frog crouches, looking up as its back supports the upper tiers. From this view, on each tier we can see curving up four spouts like creatures opening their mouths, getting smaller and closer together towards the top.

Flower Pyramid

c. 1690
manufacturer

Adrianus Kocx

(Dutch, active 1686–1701)
manufacturer

De Grieksche A (The Greek A) Factory

(Netherlands, 1658–1811)
Netherlands, Holland, Delft
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in blue
Overall: 95 cm (37 3/8 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2024.27
Location: 213 Dutch Painting

Did You Know?

The iconic blue-and-white ceramics from Delft originated as an attempt to copy Chinese porcelain.

Description

Allegorical figures representing Faith, Hope, and Love decorate the base of this pyramid, on which rest six tiers with spouts where flowers can be placed. Flower pyramids are among the most complex and luxurious types of ceramics produced in Delft in the late 1600s. This example was made in the Greek A Factory, owned by Adrianus Kocx. During his tenure, the factory became the most prestigious of Delft potteries and received commissions from Queen Mary II, who ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland together with her husband, William III. She contributed to the international spread of the fashion for Delft ceramics.
  • before 1957–1980
    Sir Cecil W.H. Beaton (1904-1980). Reddish House, Wiltshire, England
    1980
    (Christie's, Reddish House, Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, the property of the late Sir Cecil Beaton, June 10, 1980 (lot 543))
    2023
    (Sotheby's, Classic Design: Furniture, Clocks, Silver & Ceramics, May 23, 2023, London (lot 30))
    2023–2024
    Aronson Delftware Antiquairs, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    2024–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
  • C. Hussey, "Reddish House, Broad Chalke, Wilts. The Home of Mr. Cecil Beaton – II", Country Life Magazine, March 28, 1957. Illustrated: p. 598, figs 6, 7
    "New on View." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 65, no. 2 (2025): Back cover. Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover archive.org
  • TEFAF Maastricht 2024. Maastricht, Netherlands (March 9–14, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Flower Pyramid|url=false|author=Adrianus Kocx, De Grieksche A (The Greek A) Factory|year=c. 1690|access-date=16 March 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.27