Large 18th Century Stoneware Bellarmine Flagon

This is a large 18th Century antique salt glazed stoneware Bellarmine of typical bulbous shape, with a moulded spout and strap handle and the Bartmann mask to the neck. This jug stands 41cm tall and is in very good condition. A nice example of a ‘Bartmann’ or ‘Bellarmine’ stoneware jug or flagon dating from the 18th century. These stoneware jugs were normally used for the storage or transportation of drink. This one is fairly uniform in colour and has an incised ‘3’below the mask The ‘Bartmann’ bearded face mask is thought to represent the ‘wild man’, who held a popular place in North European mythology since the 14th century. The alternative name ‘Bellarmine’ is recorded earliest in 1634, and is in popular tradition associated with the cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), an opponent of Protestantism in the Low Countries and northern Germany. The reason for the association with Bellarmine is not entirely clear but was possibly conceived by Dutch and English Protestants to ridicule the cardinal. Another possibility is his anti-alcohol stance.