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jugs-pitchrs-lnks - 12/26/05

 

A set of web links to information on medieval and Renaissance Jugs and Pitchers by Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon.

 

NOTE: See also the files: mazers-msg, merch-pottery-msg, p-tableware-msg, p-bottles-msg, lea-bottles-msg, drinkng-strws-msg, pottery-msg, ceramics-bib, Throwing-Pots-art.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

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Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: liontamr at ptd.net

Subject: Links: Medieval and Renaissance Jugs and Pitchers

Date: May 10, 2004 4:09:15 PM CDT

To: StefanliRous at austin.rr.com

 

Greetings Gentle Readers!

 

When you sit down to table at feast, what's on your table? Many of us try

very hard to have medieval-style mugs, plates, and even historical-style

silverware (so to speak) at hand. Candles and lanterns make a lovely

atmosphere. However, when the drink is served, what is that drinks container

made of? How is it shaped? What is it's color? From what period of history

does it hail? Too often, this is where we really fall down on the

re-creation job. Not all containers are made the same, and most modern

shapes aren't quite right.

 

The subject of this week's Links List is Medieval Jugs, Pitchers, and the

like. With luck, this Links List will inspire you to go out and find a more

historical container (or one that resembles a more historical container) for

your table and for your group's serving purposes. Many historical jugs were

not only meant for pouring but also for drinking. Of course, what that container

actually contains is not the subject of THIS Links List, but could easily

pop up in future lists....

 

As always, please send this Links List along to anyone who would find it

interesting (I especially like the Face Jugs and Puzzle Jugs, myself), and

use it to update your own web pages.

 

Cheers---literally!

 

Aoife

 

Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon

modernly known as Lisbeth Herr-Gelatt

Riverouge

Aethelemarc

 

 

German Medieval Face Jug (photos, description)

http://www.cosbert.com/bottles/collection2002/view_bellarmine_med100_p2.html">http://www.cosbert.com/bottles/collection2002/view_bellarmine_med100_p2.html

 

Freeblown Roman Glass Bottle circa. 200 AD (photos, description)

http://www.cosbert.com/view_romanbottle_cptmuseum.html">http://www.cosbert.com/view_romanbottle_cptmuseum.html

 

European Bellarmine Stoneware Jug circa. 1650

http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151.html">http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151.html

page 2 http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151a.html">http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151a.html

page 3 http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151b.html">http://www.cosbert.com/view_bellarmine_cpc151b.html

 

Spoilheap Archaeology: What can we learn from broken pottery?

http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/medpoti.htm">http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/medpoti.htm

(Site Excerpt)

There is a large amount of archaeological evidence for the pottery industry

from the Middle Saxon period onwards, in the form of products and production

sites. The main requirements of the industry were: raw materials: large

supply of clay and sand, some water, and fuel (wood), a well drained working

area with easy access to roads or water transport. This means that

production sites were generally situated on clay subsoils near woodland in

rural areas.

 

Bartmann Jug, c. 1600

http://www.apva.org/ngex/c1bart.html">http://www.apva.org/ngex/c1bart.html

(Site Excerpt) Made in Frechen, Germany, saltglazed stoneware vessels such

as this jug were produced and exported in great quantities to fulfill

England's stoneware needs. England succeeded in establishing her own

stoneware industry in the 1680s. The jugs are known as Bartmann or "bearded

man" for the bewhiskered face that adorns the neck.

 

The Bearded Man Bottle of Skriduklaustur

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Opera/1517/music.html">http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Opera/1517/music.html

(Site Excerpt) "This type of pottery comes mainly from potters in Germany,

and then primarily from Raeren near Aix-la-Chapelle, Frechen and Siegburg

near Cologne, Hšhr and Grenshausen near Coblenz, and Creussen in Bavaria. In

the beginning of the 16th century potters in these towns made the face jugs

with brown salt glaze. As well at that time, the faces took a decided change

to show the wrinkled face of a bearded man who is good-natured when the jug

is upright, and beetlebrowed and grimacing evilly with hair standing on end

when the jug is turned upside-down." (Note: The author of this page said, in

a private e-mail, "Due to the finding of that jug and some test

excavations, the old monastery area at Skriduklaustur has had an

archeological dig going on for two summers now, and will head into its

third summer this July."

 

Shaft-and-Globe Utility Glass Bottle c.1630-50

http://www.cosbert.com/bottles/collection2001/view_shaftglobe_ncc001_p1.html">http://www.cosbert.com/bottles/collection2001/view_shaftglobe_ncc001_p1.html

 

Stefan's Florilegium -- Medieval Pottery and Kilns

http://www.florilegium.org/files/CRAFTS/pottery-msg.html">http://www.florilegium.org/files/CRAFTS/pottery-msg.html

(Site Excerpt) One of them is marvelous--it's a period Italian potters'

manual!

It's very detailed, so it's perfect for majolica info. A friend of mine

found out about it and got it through ILL. Once I find them again--it may

be...

That would be "Tre Libri dell'Arte del Vasaio (The Three Books of the

Potter's Art)" by Cipriano Piccolpasso? Cool stuff! I've got a copy of

the Scholar Press (ISBN 0 85967 452 5) facsimile set. One of the

translators, Alan Caiger-Smith, has another couple of books out that you

should find really interesting, if you haven't already seen them- "Tin

Glazed Pottery", Faber & Faber Ltd, London, 1973, and one on lustre

ware.

 

Two Medieval London-type jugs from Longmarket

John Cotter

http://www.hillside.co.uk/arch/longmarket/pottery91.html">http://www.hillside.co.uk/arch/longmarket/pottery91.html

(Site Excerpt) Two of the most significant medieval pots found on the

Longmarket site are the subject of this note. Both are of considerable

interest and beauty and although broken they are remarkable for their state

of completeness and preservation. The reason for their excellent condition

is that both vessels were thrown to the bottom of two separate cess-pits or

latrines where they lay undisturbed for the next seven centuries.

 

Early 14th Century Balluster Jug (Acrobat Reader required)

http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/Documents/CM-mew02.pdf">http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/Documents/CM-mew02.pdf

 

Medieval Jug Construction

http://www.medievalpottery.uk7.net/page2.html">http://www.medievalpottery.uk7.net/page2.html

A How-to site with basic information. Click on one of the photos to go to

the article indicated. See espescially the bibliography page at:

http://www.medievalpottery.uk7.net/page15.html">http://www.medievalpottery.uk7.net/page15.html

 

Medieval pottery jug from Cardiff

http://www.gtj.org.uk/item.php?lang=en&;id=25927&t=1">http://www.gtj.org.uk/item.php?lang=en&;id=25927&t=1

Photo of remarkable jug and brief commentary.

 

Medieval and Renaissance Eating Utensils and "Feast Gear"

http://www.geocities.com/karen_larsdatter/feastgear.htm">http://www.geocities.com/karen_larsdatter/feastgear.htm

An excellent article---too good to quote just one piece here, but please do

read it and click on all the links to extant examples. Much information

about all types of feast gear including jugs and bottles.

 

2000 years of pottery forms and shapes

Early Saxon AD 350 - 650 : Sandy ware bottle

http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron8-08.html">http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron8-08.html

This page from Potweb contains a photo and brief description. See also the

Stamfordware spouted pitcher:

http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron1-01.html">http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron1-01.html and other excellent

examples on the website.

 

Paris: Glazed Ceramic Jug (site is in French)

http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0007720.html">http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0007720.html

 

Discovering Dante's Damsel in Distress

Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20031201/dante.html">http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20031201/dante.html

(Site Excerpt) Dec. 1, 2003 - A 14th century jug unearthed in a Tuscan

castle might shed new light on one of the most touching and mysterious

female figures in Dante's Divine Comedy, according to Italian

archaeologists.Legend has always linked Castel di Pietra, a castle near the

village of Gavorrano in the Tuscan Maremma, with the sad fate of Pia dei

Tolomei, a lady supposedly imprisoned there and then murdered by her jealous

husband

 

Gaston Phoebus: Hunters pausing

http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/manuscrits/aman10/i5_0040.htm">http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/manuscrits/aman10/i5_0040.htm

Click on the photo to enlarge. Note the use of Costrels (ceramic canteens,

which are rarely found extant, archaeologically speaking---go to potweb

(linked above) to find a rare example of a medieval costrel).

 

A series of drinking jugs of Raeren stoneware

http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/08_tudorstuart/object_detail.asp?photoref=8_25">http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/08_tudorstuart/object_detail.asp?photoref=8_25

(Site Excerpt) At the end of the 15th century the manner in which food and

drink were served at table in Exeter households, as in much of England,

underwent great changes. An element in these changes was the adoption of

individual drinking pots, replacing the medieval practices of communal

drinking and the use of wooden cups. Much of the new demand for drinking

pots was supplied by the importation of salt-glazed stonewares from Belgium

and the Rhineland. The most important source of such wares throughout

England was the potting town of Raeren in eastern Belgium.

 

A stoneware jug from Siegburg

http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/08_tudorstuart/object_detail.asp?photoref=8_24">http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/08_tudorstuart/object_detail.asp?photoref=8_24

(Site Excerpt) With its hard off-white fabric and patches of ash glaze, the

vessel is one of the few complete examples of the late medieval stoneware

made at Siegburg in the central Rhineland ever found in Britain. It is

datable to the late 15th century or the beginning of the 16th.

 

The Exeter Puzzle Jug - Interactive Spin

http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/07_middleages/puzzle_jug.asp">http://www.exeter.gov.uk/timetrail/07_middleages/puzzle_jug.asp

(Site Excerpt) Made in the Saintonge, western France, c. 1300, this is among

the most celebrated examples of medieval pottery found in Britain. It was

discovered in fragments in South Street, Exeter, in 1899. The jug shows a

tower in which are two bishops (with croziers); young ladies disport

themselves from its windows and musicians play below. The scene points fun

at the morals of the medieval clergy. (Note: and interactive section is slow

to load but will show the jug at various angles. The "Puzzle" is to figure

out how to drink from it---since it's sides are pierced...Several medieval

puzzle jugs exist. Another is located at the potweb site:

http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron3-10.html">http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotWeb/PotChron3-10.html ).

 

Medieval Pottery Links:

http://medievalarchaeology.unisi.it/NewPages/LINK/MOTOAMcer.html">http://medievalarchaeology.unisi.it/NewPages/LINK/MOTOAMcer.html

Nearly 100 links to medieval pottery web-pages are provided on this page.

 

1911 Encyclopedia--JUG

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/J/JU/JUG.htm">http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/J/JU/JUG.htm

(Site Excerpt) JUG, a vessel for holding liquid, usually with one handle and

a lip, made of earthenware, glass or metal. The origin of the word in this

sense is uncertain, but it is probably identical with a shortened form of

the feminine name Joan or Joanna; cf. the similar use of Jack and Jill or

Gill for a drinking-vessel or a liquor measure. It has also been used as a

common expression for a homely woman, a servant-girl, a sweetheart,

sometimes in a sense of disparagement. In slang, jug or stone-jug is used to

denote a prison; this may possibly be an adaptation of Fr. joug, yoke,

Lat.jugum. The word jugis probably onomatopoeic when used to represent a

particular note of the nightingales song, or applied locally to various

small birds, as the hedge-jug, &c.

 

French pottery in medieval Wales By Dr Mark Redknap, National Museums &

Galleries of Wales Published: 8 March 2004

http://www.walespast.com/english/articles/50.shtml">http://www.walespast.com/english/articles/50.shtml

(Site Excerpt) Elegant forms and decoration are distinctive features of

pottery imported from south-west France in the wake of Edward I's armies.

Thanks to the careful restoration of broken vessels we can enjoy this

beautiful tableware today.

 

Museum of London: Medieval Jug

http://brickfields.org.uk/rooms/illus_artefact_med.htm">http://brickfields.org.uk/rooms/illus_artefact_med.htm

 

A Vessel for everyman and his family

http://potweb.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotVess9.html">http://potweb.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/PotVess9.html

(Site Excerpt) Ceramic forms can be classified according to shape or

profile. There is considerable variety in size and height and therefore in

capacity. The site of the New Bodleian, Oxford included tall, closed vessels

where the diameter of both the opening and the maximum girth are smaller

than the overall height; these are defined as jugs for serving and standing

at table....

 

In Their Cups - The Story of the English Puzzle Mug

by Delia Robinson (Ceramics Today)

http://www.ceramicstoday.com/articles/puzzle_mug.htm">http://www.ceramicstoday.com/articles/puzzle_mug.htm

(Site Excerpt)

Unless held to the mouth in exactly the right way, a Puzzle Mug would spill

beer down the drinkers shirt. This was a big hit with the tavern crowd. The

mugs were designed with multiple dribble holes and tunnels inside the handle

and cup rim, the handle or walls connected to a drinking spout at the lip of

the cup. This would allow the drinker to suck up his beverage, providing his

fingers covered the right combination of false drinking spouts also placed

around the cup lip. If he attempted drinking from the cup in the customary

fashion, the beverage would pour out through perforations carved just under

the lip. As the evening progressed into a rowdy uproar, finding the safe

spot from which to drink would become increasingly chancy, providing

merriment for all.

 

Lastly, from http://www.uncork.com.au/tidbits9.htm">http://www.uncork.com.au/tidbits9.htm , a list of drinking

vessels and their historical names:

a.. Piggin-from the middle ages, a small leather cup

a.. Noggin-small wooden mug around 1/4 pint

a.. Goddard-pewter vessel used by the church

a.. Bombard-tall, holding several gallons, richly decorated

a.. Hanap-a tall, ornate largely ornamental vessel, eventually only used on

special occasions and stored in a hanaps basket, hence a hamper

a.. Tappit-Hen or Stirrup Cup-A tankard with a cup shaped lid originating in

Scotland, used to send off guests late at night with a final brew, the lid

keeping the brew safe when the guests departed on horseback.

a.. Fuddling cup-vessel with three or more small cups with interlinked

handles and joined through a small hole in the walls, the idea was to drink

from one cup without spilling the contents of the others.

a.. Whistle cup-From the Middle ages, whoever could drink the most for the

longest got to blow the whistle as the 'last man standing' to order more

drink.

a.. Puzzle jug-Jug with many holes around the neck which have to be closed

with fingers and thumbs to make sure you can drink from the top.

a.. Yard glass-traditionally a quart measure from the mid 1600's with a bulb

at one end which had to be drunk without taking it from ones lips

........(note: there's more, but we've run out of room to list them all :)

 

<the end>



Formatting copyright © Mark S. Harris (THLord Stefan li Rous).
All other copyrights are property of the original article and message authors.

Comments to the Editor: stefan at florilegium.org