‘Bellarmine’ Pottery Vessels and impure thoughts
There is a tendency
among some archaeologists, myself included, to describe all and any pottery
with a beardy face on it as ‘Bellarmine’. It’s supposed to be named after Cardinal
Robert Bellarmine, not for his venomously anti-Protestant views as mocking him
for his equally vociferous dislike of alcohol. Somewhere along the way, the
name seems to have lost favour and the worthy alternative of ‘salt-glazed
stoneware’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The jug on the left
dates to around 1600 and was made in Frechen, Germany. The three medallions
around its waist identify it as having been made for Jan Allers, a Dutch bottle dealer. The patchy colourtion
in blue appears to be the result of a misfiring accident – the bottle may not
have come out looking exactly right, but it was still able to serve its
purpose. The one on the right is slightly earlier, dating to around 1540, and is
from Cologne. The face is beautifully sculpted, being closer to a genuine
portrait than the much more amateur and cartoonish mask on the other example. I
do wonder about the symmetry of the beard. It’s nice and all, but there is
something distinctly vaginal to the arrangement. Maybe it’s just me and my
corrupted mind, or maybe the sculptor was adding a further layer of mockery to
Bobby Bellarmine … ‘Old Vagina Beard’! … But I’m probably just broken in some
fundamental way …
Comments
Post a Comment