Objects
Jug
Alcohol
Consumption
Large
[Taken from catalogue entry]
Bartmann jug or Bellarmine with smling face and heraldic symbols. Made from saltglaze stoneware, with moulded decoration and patches of cobalt blue. The neck of the jug features a smiling, bearded face whilst the body features three large oval medallions and small flowers with five petals. Centre medallion shows a shield on which is a mounted knight drawing his sword. The shield also features other heraldic symbols such as helmets, horses and aigrettes. The other two medallions show the same crowned coat of arms which may refer to the duchy of Cleves-Jülich-Berg. The handle is in the form of a twisted rope.
The name ?Bartmannkrug? translates literally as beard man jug. Jugs featuring these bearded faces were made in the Cologne area from the 16th century but earlier examples from other regions have been dated as early as the 14th and 15th century. These jugs appear in excavations throughout the world and were used to transport and store various kinds of liquid including beer and wine but also dry goods.
The original meaning of the bearded face is uncertain but several theories abound. Some suggest the character?s depicted on jugs are ironic portrayals of excessive drinking, others that they are simply ornamental mask decorations, popular from the Renaissance. Other references cite a link to a mythical ?wild man? creature found in North European folklore. Another term for these wares is ?Bellarmines?, referring to Italian Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1592-1621). The cardinal was very unpopular in Protestant England. Comparing the cardinal to the bartmann jug would have ridiculed his appearance and formed an ironic comment on his anti-alcohol stance.
jug height 38.5 cm
widest point of globular body circumference 91 cm
Production
Dates of Production: from c. 1600
Cologne, Germany
Materials
Earthenware
Earthenware- stone
Museological Details
Bartmann jug or Bellarmine with smling face and heraldic symbols
Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent
1955.P.77
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