Silver miniature bird catcher, W. Freen, Dordrecht, 19th century

Silver miniature of a bird catcher, made by the silversmith Willem Freen from Dordrecht. He was active from 1826 to 1898.

Willem Freen was a prominent 19th-century gold and silversmith who lived and worked his entire life in Dordrecht. He is primarily known in Dutch silver history as the man who continued the tradition of silver professional miniatures at a high level in the 19th century.

Freen established his shop and workshop in the historic heart of the city, on Voorstraat (District D, No. 69). Here he worked for decades as an independent master silversmith. His official maker's mark, which he struck on all his pieces, consisted of a hexagon with the letter F and a heart. After his death in 1898, the business continued for a short time.

Although Dordrecht was no longer a major center for miniature silver in the 19th century, Freen managed to carve out a unique niche. On September 6, 1860, he signed a historic contract with the prestigious Amsterdam gold and silver merchant Roelof Citroen (located at the corner of Kalverstraat and Dam Square). Citroen ordered a fixed series of thirteen different silver miniatures. Freen had to deliver these within four weeks for a fixed silver price per pound. This contract proves that Freen produced his miniatures in small series by pre-casting individual parts and then manually assembling them into different scenes.

This miniature depicts a bird catcher. A man in 18th-century attire with a tricorn hat. He carries a large wire birdcage over his shoulder and leans on a walking stick. 

On the silver base, Willem Freen's maker's mark (a hexagon with the letter F and a heart) is struck, as well as the 19th-century re-assay mark of the dolphin.

An exact equivalent of this bird catcher is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. (inv. BK-NM-11177-271)

The miniature is in good condition.

Weight: 17.2 grams. Dimensions: 2 x 3 x 4.5 cm.