Help with these Delft Tiles

[capn]

Hi guys.
Someone locally has this collection of Delft tiles. I love the look. I have never heard of these before and know nothing about them.
The seller claims they are from the 18th century, and also claims that Sotheby's appraised them at $400 each.

I would like to know two things:

What are the age of these?
What would be a realistic value for the whole lot?

Sorry for the small pictures. It's the best I can do right now.
Thanks!

[mart]

I am assuming there is nothing written on them anywhere ??  Can you post a pic of the back of one or two of them ??  Would help to see the thickness if you could put one on an angle please !!

[capn]

I am assuming there is nothing written on them anywhere ??  Can you post a pic of the back of one or two of them ??  Would help to see the thickness if you could put one on an angle please !!

Sorry, these are the seller's photos. I do not have them in hand.
These are the only photos I have.

[Rauville]

It might be worth the time to contact these folks before you invest. That $400 figure sounds plenty high to me.
http://www.antiquetileshop.com/delft-tiles-collectibles/mermaids-sea-monsters

[Mat]

Hi, these tiles are Dutch tiles of the period 1650-1700 ( see for the chronology of the corner motive here: http://www.delfter-fliese.de/ ) and mythical animals of the sea are quite collectable. 400 seems too much to me, I do not know the prices in the USA, but in Europe I woul think they would cost about 100- 150 $, not more...
Mat

[capn]

Hi, these tiles are Dutch tiles of the period 1650-1700 ( see for the chronology of the corner motive here: http://www.delfter-fliese.de/ ) and mythical animals of the sea are quite collectable. 400 seems too much to me, I do not know the prices in the USA, but in Europe I woul think they would cost about 100- 150 $, not more...
Mat

Thanks. Are you saying $100-150 each or for the whole collection?
Thanks!

[Mat]

I meant each, but I think you can find them for less, too... However, I repeat, I do not know the prices in the USA, which are sometimes quite different to prices over here...

[Ipcress]

Id be surprised at anything over £200 for the lot.

[mart]

I am with Ipcress on these tiles !!  Yes they are old but that does not always convert to value !! Currently you can find these tiles on ebay for prices from $5. for a single to several hundred for multiples from the Netherlands, Switzerland and UK !! They all say,, "or best offer" which means they are overpriced to my way of thinking  !!  I saw a few watchers on some really ornate ones but no bidding on any that I saw !!
Are these the same tiles that were on Pinterest?? 

[capn]

I am with Ipcress on these tiles !!  Yes they are old but that does not always convert to value !! Currently you can find these tiles on ebay for prices from $5. for a single to several hundred for multiples from the Netherlands, Switzerland and UK !! They all say,, "or best offer" which means they are overpriced to my way of thinking  !!  I saw a few watchers on some really ornate ones but no bidding on any that I saw !!
Are these the same tiles that were on Pinterest??

From the research I have done, subject matter is everything. Checking sold listings on ebay, tiles with mermaids/mythical creatures, almost identical to these, have sold for $200 usd and more a piece.

I have been talking with the seller. They agreed to sell the lot for $150 USD. That seems like a very good price to me.
Also, I didn't realize, but there are 11 tiles total. He only had photos of 8 up though.

Could you provide a link to the pinterest page you're talking about?
Thanks

[mart]

That is a fair price for the lot !!  There were 4 that came up in the thumbnail pics !!  I did not look at the page but I will see if I can find it again !!
Was that U.S. ebay ??  When did they sell for that amount ??

[capn]

That is a fair price for the lot !!  There were 4 that came up in the thumbnail pics !!  I did not look at the page but I will see if I can find it again !!
Was that U.S. ebay ??  When did they sell for that amount ??

That was US ebay. They only show sold listings for the last 30 days I believe. So within the last month.

I talked to the woman again. There are actually 12 tiles, one is very badly broken (worthless) and the lot includes 3 custom made frames. So for $150 USD I think it's a great deal, and it will be a fun way for me to learn about something new. Plus, I love things with mermaids on them! And the age of these makes them really interesting.

[Mat]

Tjat was a really good buy, I would say. There are collectors that are willing to pay good money for tiles with rarer themes, but I have the impression that they get fewer and fewer and prices are tumbling down. One of my uncle has a huge collection of those tiles with biblical themes, they can be quite fascinating.
Mat

[capn]

I will post photos of all 12 when I get them.
Thanks for all the input!

[ATS]

Hi all,

I noticed this post a bit too late, but I hope this information will still help you out.

It are indeed Dutch (handmade and hand painted) antique tiles, made at the end of the 17th century (c. 1680) and basically at the end of the Dutch Golden Age. It looks like some tiles might have been made in the same factory, as they show strong similarities in the way the sea creatures, the sea and corner patterns were painted. Some tiles are decorated with so called 'ox-head' corner patterns and the one with the 'dots' is known as a 'spider' corner pattern.

Yes, you can indeed buy Delft tiles on eBay for a rather low price, but do note that the overall condition, the quality of the painting, the depicted image and the age of the tile are of a big influence on the value. Many of the tiles on eBay have old restorations, are badly damaged or are simply too common to be worth a lot. The rare tiles that occasionally come by are not sold cheap.

The tiles you bought seem to be in a pretty good condition, although the top left tile might have been broken. The depicted sea creatures are very entertaining to watch and most definately worth collecting. In my opinion, you made a great purchase (a bargain to be honest  )!

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a great collection of antique Dutch tiles. I believe there was an exhibition quite recently, but not sure if there is anything running at the moment. Some of the tiles they own can be found on their website: http://www.philamuseum.org

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch. Good luck!

Durk

(the owner of the previously mentioned webshop)