Bartmann Jug
MakerMade by
Unknown
Dateabout 1720
MediumWheel-thrown salt-glazed stoneware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x diameter): 17 x 10 5/16in. (43.2 x 26.2cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1987.160.1
DescriptionLarge, brown, salt-glazed stoneware jug; this is a form known as a "Bartmann" or "Bellarmine" jug. The bellarmine jug has a round base, ovoid sides, a tapered, elongated, cylindrical neck, and a reeded rim. To one side of the bellarmine jug, a pulled strap handle connects the neck with the shoulder. There are three decorative thumb-prints in the ceramic below the handle. Opposite the handle, a sprigg-molded face of a bearded man wearing a hat is applied to the ceramic.
The glaze is applied unevenly over the surface of the bellarmine jug. A hand-painted red cataloging number has been applied to the side of the bellarmine jug to the right of the handle: "K.855 C.1". There are several imperfections in the surface of the bellarmine jug consisting of small holes in the surface of the stoneware, or an area without glaze to the lower left of the handle and beneath the bearded face. There is a gouge in the stoneware to the lower right of the handle.
There are several cracks in the glazed surface of the stoneware on the bottom quarter of the bellarmine jug and in a broad area to the right of the handle. Some of these cracks probably go through into the stoneware, especially on the bottom quarter of the bellarmine jug. Additionally, there are multiple small chips circling the foot, and one large chip at the rim. An unknown green substance has dripped down a few inches of the bellarmine jug to the lower left of the bearded face.
NotesSubject Note: Bellarmine Jugs: From the mid-sixteenth through the mid-eighteenth centuries German and Belgium potters made variously-sized jugs with a round body and the face of a bearded man on the elongated neck. The Germanic title for these jugs was "Bartmann" jug, which was then mis-named the "Bellarmine" jug in England.The glaze is applied unevenly over the surface of the bellarmine jug. A hand-painted red cataloging number has been applied to the side of the bellarmine jug to the right of the handle: "K.855 C.1". There are several imperfections in the surface of the bellarmine jug consisting of small holes in the surface of the stoneware, or an area without glaze to the lower left of the handle and beneath the bearded face. There is a gouge in the stoneware to the lower right of the handle.
There are several cracks in the glazed surface of the stoneware on the bottom quarter of the bellarmine jug and in a broad area to the right of the handle. Some of these cracks probably go through into the stoneware, especially on the bottom quarter of the bellarmine jug. Additionally, there are multiple small chips circling the foot, and one large chip at the rim. An unknown green substance has dripped down a few inches of the bellarmine jug to the lower left of the bearded face.
Status
Not on view
