T.A.C. Colenbrander

Theodoor Christiaan Adriaan Colenbrander (known as T.A.C., despite the order of names) began his career working for architects in Holland and later for a Dutch firm in Paris. In 1884, he joined the newly founded Hague ceramics firm, Rozenburg. Colenbrander’s decorations, inspired by nature and architecture, were exceptionally exuberant and inventive. Colenbrander left Rozenburg in 1889 and later reprised his style at Plateelbakkerij Ram in Arnhem, The Netherlands, in the 1920s.

The shape of Colenbrander’s covered vases recall both majolica apothecary jars that had been produced in Europe since the 15th century and elements of traditional Dutch garnitures. His work is included in the collections of the Rijksmuseum, the Princesshof Ceramics Museum, Leeuwarden, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.