A wine or beer tankard is a typical example of traditional German pottery. Such drinkware has long been part of the stereotyped image of a cheerful German man with a beer mug or tankard in his hand. The museum houses a small collection of pottery produced in Germany during different periods.
The tankard from the museum’s collection has a spherical body with a low, cylindrical neck and base. The flat metal lid is equipped with an opening mechanism that is attached to the handle.
At the top of the lid, there is a thumb lever which is used to open the lid easily. The entire surface of the tankard is covered with relief patterns: two bands of stylized lotus buds with brown hearts are arranged against a blue background with small dots. In the middle, there is a band of brown and white trefoils. The neck and the base of the jug are decorated with relief blue and white bands.
Apart from such patterns, tankards and beer steins were sometimes decorated with scenes on various subjects. Scenes from the Old and New Testament, images of historical events, heraldic compositions, and scenes from everyday life were especially popular. Copies of engravings and caricatures from the Reformation period were also widespread. Images could be accompanied by texts, including moral teachings, for example, instructing about the benefits and harms of drinking.
The tankard was made of stoneware according to an ancient method. At first, the products made of a special grade of clay, containing feldspar and quartz, were given the required shape using a potter’s wheel.
Later, the decoration was applied on the dried clay surface using special stamps. After that, the product was painted manually using cobalt or manganese paint. Cobalt blue is a pigment that has been known since ancient times, while manganese oxide, which can produce shades from violet to dark brown, only came into use in the second half of the 17th century.
Eventually, the products underwent a very important stage of firing in the kiln at a high temperature of about 1300°C. The firing was performed using a salt glaze, which formed a thin shiny coating on the surface. Such stoneware was incredibly hard and moisture-resistant.
The tankard from the museum’s collection has a spherical body with a low, cylindrical neck and base. The flat metal lid is equipped with an opening mechanism that is attached to the handle.
At the top of the lid, there is a thumb lever which is used to open the lid easily. The entire surface of the tankard is covered with relief patterns: two bands of stylized lotus buds with brown hearts are arranged against a blue background with small dots. In the middle, there is a band of brown and white trefoils. The neck and the base of the jug are decorated with relief blue and white bands.
Apart from such patterns, tankards and beer steins were sometimes decorated with scenes on various subjects. Scenes from the Old and New Testament, images of historical events, heraldic compositions, and scenes from everyday life were especially popular. Copies of engravings and caricatures from the Reformation period were also widespread. Images could be accompanied by texts, including moral teachings, for example, instructing about the benefits and harms of drinking.
The tankard was made of stoneware according to an ancient method. At first, the products made of a special grade of clay, containing feldspar and quartz, were given the required shape using a potter’s wheel.
Later, the decoration was applied on the dried clay surface using special stamps. After that, the product was painted manually using cobalt or manganese paint. Cobalt blue is a pigment that has been known since ancient times, while manganese oxide, which can produce shades from violet to dark brown, only came into use in the second half of the 17th century.
Eventually, the products underwent a very important stage of firing in the kiln at a high temperature of about 1300°C. The firing was performed using a salt glaze, which formed a thin shiny coating on the surface. Such stoneware was incredibly hard and moisture-resistant.
