Galerie Golconda

Salt-glazed stoneware jug with « Cologne brown » colour, ovoid shaped body resting over a silver pedestal base and a flat handle joining the shoulder. The lid of the jug is made of silver, which is rather rare. The wide neck is decorated with a frieze of portraits inside of medallions, separated by heart designs. A wider frieze covers the middle section of the body depicting eight voters, each with their coat of arms. When the oven has reached its highest temperature, sea salt would be thrown into the kiln through an opening in its vault. The combining of both sodium and the silica from the clay produced a thin, shiny coating on the surface of the pitcher. Excellent state of preservation. Small imperfections from the handle due to use. Excellent workmanship of the silver and relief decoration.Raeren stoneware (a town in Belgium near Cologne) is renowned for being among the first glazed ceramics appearing in Europe. From the time of the High Middle Ages, coarse stoneware was manufactured in Germany for making pieces for daily use such as beer pitchers. At the end of the 14th century, the manufacturing process was refined with the invention of the saline varnish. As far as the 15th century, Raeren pitchers and ceramics were exported and collected throughout Northern and Eastern Europe.