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Born: 1863  
Died: 1939  
Place: Amsterdam  
Mendes da Costa, J. 

Joseph Mendes da Costa, sculptor, presented the dutch variant of the Art Nouveau, his own workshop after 1898. Mark/backstamp see picture. 

Mostly monumental simple glazed porous pottery, later stoneware, engobe-and sgraffito technics. Before human beings in ceramics, like biblical figures, jewish lower classes.

As regular visitor of the Zoo Artis, Joseph Mendez da Costa made stylized animals, like the very recognizable monkey's (mandrills, maki's and baboons) and owls, received a honorary degree in biology in 1914. Ceramic household/hollow-ware and figures/sculptures in gres stoneware. Used sometimes  salt glaze. He backed also at Pottery factory Delft (1912, P.B.D.)


     

 
   
Joseph Mendes da Costa most famous figure/sculpture, Sick Little Monkey. Jewish gres/stoneware figure from J. Mendes Da Costa.
 
Ceramic monkey sculpture/figure of Joseph Mendes da Costa, executed by +/- Gouda Pottery Factory Zuid Holland.