H.: 22 cm (the whole)
Dim.: 27,5 x 21,5 cm (the stand)

The stand marked with an axe on the base, for the 'De Porceleyne Byl' workshop, Delft.

The exact purpose of this set is unknown, although the chestnut finial may hint to a related use. One could for example fill up the 'box' one by one with freshly picked nuts, only to lift the box and cover at some point, to see the stack of nuts flow across and spread evenly on the stand.

Provenance:
- The 'Gaston de Ramaix' collection, Château de Grune, Belgium. The collectors Maurice de Ramaix (1850-1918) (link), a Belgian diplomat and politician, and his son Gaston built a collection of mostly blue and white pieces from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. De Ramaix was a diplomatic attaché in Paris, Constantinople, Vienna, Berlin, The Hague and Persia. Afterward, he returned to Belgium where he became a senator and a member of the Parliament. In 1894, he bought and restored a castle in Grune, Belgium. After his death, De Ramaix’s collection was passed to his eldest son, Gaston (1878-1937), who was also a diplomat. Gaston had a predilection for the Dutch Golden Age and completed his father’s collection. He showcased the remarkable assemblage of Delftware in his seventeenth-century castle surrounded by Dutch paintings and prints from the same era.
- With a label on the inside of the cover reading 'achat - 150 fr - Van Herck - avril 1913', in all likelihood an indication that this piece was bought from the Antwerp-based antiques dealers Van Herck.