Antique Early Pottery 17thc Large Stoneware Bellarmine / Bartmann Jug. German

A magnificent late 17thc stoneware salt glazed Bellarmine jug of a very impressive size....18.5 inches / 46.99cms, complete with Bartmann mask and the number 4 impressed into the body, which is the size of the jug....these impressive jugs would have been traded up the Rhine river, into the Low countries and distributed via Dutch wine merchants to the British Isles and other European countries....condition is very good, with a chip to the underneath of the jug, which does not affect the jug in anyway and can hardly be seen when it is standing upright, you have to turn it upside down to see the chip..(see pictures)....this jug is a very nice example of these highly collectable pieces of pottery and would enhance any collection....at a very good price. German. C1680-90. Provenance of a private collection.