STUNNING MINIATURE SALT GLAZED STONEWARE BELLARMINE JUG, 1580 - 1600

Description

PRECIOUS AND FEW!! A wonderful tiny Bellarmine jug with a beautiful loop handle, large elongated mask with a 'smiling'' expression and bulbous body; glazed all over with a very attractive dark reddish-brown salt glaze, the neck with fine turnings to enable a leather or cork cover to be fitted; Siegburg or Cologne, Germany, circa 1580 - 1600.
As you can see the quality of the moulding of the the mask is
outstanding
. This Bellarmine is only 5 3/8 inches tall overall with a base diameter of 3 inches. The mask occupies a substantial area of the front of the jug giving it a very strong aesthetic presence. It would be hard to design something with more visual impact than this (see the accompanying 12 photographs).
One can speculate endlessly about the function of these tiny jugs which only held a small amount of liquid. Presumably the
contents were spirits rather than beer and they may have been used on long journeys on horseback or on hunting or fishing /
seafaring trips on very cold winter days. The handle would probably have been tied to the belt of the wearer and the neck stopped with a bung or leather tie.
The masks were made with many different expressions - this one has a smiling expression - and the owner could presumably choose his favorite type of expression when he bought the jug from the pottery. Millions of these bottles must have been made as they are now found all over Europe, the American colonies, Russia and beyond.
The bottle has been restored to a high standard before we bought it so we can't provide specific details except to say It looks like the handle has been off at some point and just the join area restored. It appears that a portion of the neck in the area of the lower beard has been restored around to the base of the handle. The appearance is now wonderful (see the photographs) and you would find it hard to tell that restoration had been done.
Despite the restoration
this is an amazing little jug
and we are delighted to be able to offer it to our dedicated Bellarmine
collectors. You won't find a nicer little jug than this if you look for a lifetime!
Good luck and thanks for bidding with harmic.little