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“Everyone loves a good bartmann!”
A good bartmann jug is an amazing ceramic and because of its popularity during the period, an essential aesthetic of the late 16th through the 17th century.
If you love a good bartmann, you are in good company! Consider yourself a member of the Bartmann Society.
Custom ceramics are expensive, so we set out to create high quality, affordable bartmanns for all! We produce bartmanns and cerameics for museums, interperters, historical enthisasts, stores, and the like. The goal is to increase their presence at historic sites and events.
Authentic Wood Fired Ceramic Repoductions
A collaboration between
Hunter Willis
Bookbinder, historic interpreter
Bill Moon
Potter, woodfired kiln owner and operator
We went through several iterations of tests and firings before arriving on the best glazes and techniques to create the tankards and bartmann jugs sought as a final product. Bill Moon and Hunter Willis spent many hours collaborating and consulting, with help and advice from Dan Rosen and other experienced professionals.
The images below show our attemts at creating molds, some of the prototypes and results from our first firings.
Quick facts about Bartmann jugs
Popularized in Germany (Rhineland) in the mid 1500’s
One of the most popular ceramic styles in northern Europe for over 100 years
In the 1630’s they began to assoicate them with Robert Bellarmine to ridicule his anit-protestantism, giving them the nickname “Bellermine” jugs
Many have been found at Jamestown settlement
There are a large number of surviving examples today, with a wide variety of “bartmann” face and ceramic container styles and sizes
Some of the face styles and seals that appeared on later jugs are stylized to certian produces and regions
Below is a fragment of an actual period bartmann face along with a mold blank created from an original mold sent to us by Dan Rosen. We hope soon to produce a mold that will be able to reproduce this face 1-1.
Click below for our running Pinterest collage of inspiration and to see hundreds of period Bartmann / Bellermine examples.
About the Tankards
Though there are many examples of jugs and steel flagons as drinking vessels, there were many sizes and shapes of drinking vessels and tankards in the 17th century. Large, tapered ceramic tankards were actually quite prevalant in Nortern Europe but their fragility and usage has left few surviving examples.
Other Producers: J. Henderson Artifacts
J. Henderson Artifacts produces wood fired, salt glazed bartmanns, and many other ceramics of fine quality in small batches. They are the only such produces we are currently aware of in North America.
Salt glazing causes dramatic wear and tear to the fireblocks of the insides of kils, so true salt glazing is incredibly rare these days.
Other Producers: White Hart Pottery
White Hart Pottery in Snohomish WA makes amazing bartmann style jugs and mugs (they are atypical but absolutely in the style of Cologne and other regions). The primarily produce authenicly decorated maiolica ceramic plates and other wares.
You can reach out to them to inqure on their current inventory via Facebook as well.
