Vintage Hindeloopen Tray in Sage Green with Hand Painted Flowers and Bird

Painted by hand in Friesland, this oval tray is a little piece of Dutch folk art: a sage green ground filled with a generous bouquet of roses, tulips, forget me nots and berries, with a crested bird perched on a curling stem at the top. A cream ribbon border runs round the inner edge, and the outer wall is a warm terracotta painted with swags and drops, broken by two trefoil cut out handles.

The style is Hindeloopen painting, named after the small harbour town on the old Zuiderzee where sea captains' families began decorating their furniture, chests and household wares in the seventeenth century. Its flowers, scrolling acanthus leaves and birds became the signature of Friesland, and a handful of specialists still paint it today. Underneath is the original gold label of Trynke Lok Hofstra of Beetgumermolen, a Frisian painter of Hindeloopen, German and Swiss decorative art, and her TL monogram sits among the flowers on the front. The five digit telephone code on the label predates the Dutch renumbering of 1995, which suggests the tray was painted in the 1980s or early 1990s.

It measures 39cm by 27cm and stands 5.5cm deep, a good size for two glasses and a bottle or a pot of tea for one. The paintwork is crisp and bright, with light wear to the gilded rim and a few small marks from use, and the label is a little worn at one edge.

Carry it out to the garden with a jug of something cold, or keep it on an ottoman with candles and a stack of books. Its green and terracotta sit beautifully with deep reds and sage in a country kitchen, and it is pretty enough to prop on a dresser shelf between uses. Group it with other painted folk art pieces for a cheerful, collected corner, or give it to someone with a soft spot for Dutch design.