Bellarmine Jug
PeriodMid to late 17th century
MediumSalt-glazed stoneware
Dimensions11.25 × 4 in. (28.6 × 10.2 cm)
ClassificationsStoneware
Credit LineMarshall P. Blankarn Purchasing Fund, 1967
Object number1979.528.58
DescriptionA Ballarmine storage jug of dark brownish mottled salt-glazed stoneware. The jug has a bulbous body, tapering to a tall, narrow neck ending in a rounded lip rim.NotesThis distinctive type of storage jug was produced in and around Cologne, Germany, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and was widely used in Dutch households in the American Colonies. Often called "Bellarmine" jugs (after Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621, whom the jugs' beared face was said to resemble) this type of stoneware is today known by its proper German name of Bartmannkruge. In Dutch households, the jugs stored molasses, vinegar, cider, and other common household liquids.
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