Westerwald/Rhenish 2-quart "GR" stoneware jug

Notes

This is a fragment of a stoneware jug produced in the Westerwald region of Germany. German stonewares played an important part of the English and colonial ceramic market of the eighteenth century. These vessels were available in a variety of forms but most commonly as jugs, mugs and chamberpots, and were most often decorated with a combination of incised and molded decorations enhanced with the use of cobalt and manganese underglaze painting. Generally, the prevalence of these kinds of stonewares diminished throughout the eighteenth century.

This jug form was commonly used in the serving of alcohol at the table, though obviously it may have been used to serve a variety of liquids. Prominently exhibited on this example is a molded medallion containing the initials “GR” painted in a cobalt blue, which likely refers to either George I (1714-1727) or George II (1727-1760). The medallion is further embellished with a molded crown, floral elements, and a cherub. Just above the wings of this last, the placement of the molded initials “SW” indicate this vessel is a type that was of two-quart capacity. The neck of the jug can be seen to be painted in manganese purple, a feature that generally declined in popularity after about 1740.

Measurements taken from multiple sherds accordingly.

Object Type

Ceramic

Has it Been Conserved?

No

Where Was It Found?

Project Site: House for Families    [more details]