Artists have drawn inspiration from flowers, plants and insects not only as symbols and religious references, their stylised forms have also been extremely popular. A stylised flower is a simplified representation of its form. Stylised motifs appear on ceremonial objects, in decorations of chapels and churches, and in the interiors of private homes. Stylised flowers, plants and animals are also popular decorative elements on household porcelain and pottery. Examples of seventeenth-century domestic porcelain and pottery are displayed in the ale room (Momkamer).

Cup of Friendship

This kind of Bohemian-style glassware was common in middle-class Amsterdam households of the eighteenth century. A striking detail is the inscription on the reverse. It states: The Friendship. The front of the glass shows a symbolic depiction of friendship and unity which often appears on ceramic wedding gifts of the period. Surrounded by radiating beams of light, two hands reach up to a cloud, clutching each other against a stylised tree or plant in the background. A perfect glass to drink a toast of friendship.

‘The Friendship’, Amsterdam 18th century, engraved glass, on loan from the department of historical monuments and archaeology.

Flower pot

Only one of the seventeenth-century tiles found in the entire Our Lord in the Attic house depicts flowers: it features a flowerpot with stylised lilies in the corners. It can be seen in the nineteenth-century kitchen.