Rhenish Stoneware Production

Siegburg

Pottery production started in Siegburg and in surrounding villages during the 12th century. Higher firing temperatures enabled the potters to produce stoneware, a fully sintered pottery, from the late 13th/early 14th century onwards. Renaissance stoneware of the 16th and early 17th century was solely produced in the Aulgasse, the potter’s district outside the Medieval town walls of Siegburg.

With the move of potters to the Westerwald in the late 16th century and the destruction of the Aulgasse during the wars in 1588 and 1636 pottery production ceased to exist. From the 1640s onwards only a handful of potters worked for a local market, first producing stoneware (Roehmer 2022, 39-40) and, during the 19th century, lead glazed earthenwares (Francke XXX).

16th and 17th Siegburg stoneware was first described by Solon, Dornbusch and von Falke 1908. Later works include the overviews by Koetschau, Klinge, von Bock, John Hurst, Neal and van Beuningen (Hurst et.al. 1986, 176- 184), Roehmer XXx.

Ware description

Siegburg stoneware always had a light grey colour, but during the 16th and early 17th century potters search for a clay with an even lower iron content to produce an almost white stoneware (Roehmer 2022, 28-29). During the 16th century salt glaze was introduced for the coarser products (Hurst et.al. 1986, 176).

Decoration of Siegburg stoneware started in the 15th century with small prunts and other applications (Hurst et.al. 1986, 176; Roehmer 2014, 61-62). During the 2nd half of the 16th century the technique of large mould made applications was taken over from potters in Cologne (Hurst et.al. 1986, 177). During the early 17th century incised and stamped patterns were introduced (Hurst et.al. 1986, 177)

Forms

Funnel neck beakers (Trichterhalsbecher) were developed during the late 14th century (Roehmer 2014, 43-44). During the 15th and the 1st half of the 16th century they can show simple mould made or cut decorations, whereas in the 2nd half of the 16th and the early 17th century circular medallions and incised and stamped patterns are more common (Roehmer 2014, 189). Funnel neck beakers of the 17th century usually have a hollowed pedestal base instead of the older frilled base and lack the small looped handles (Hurst et.al. 1986, 180-181; Roehmer 2014, 228-234).

Tall tankards (Schnellen) have been developed in Cologne and were adapted by the Siegburg potters around 1550 (Hähnel 1987, 34; Roehmer 2014, 139). The tall and slighty conical body was decorated by three large mould made applications between three to four cordons below the neck and right above the base. Tankards always have a strap handle, which springs from the cordons below the rim to just about the middle of the vessel. The production of tall tankards seem to have stopped shortly before 1600 (Roehmer 2014, 140).

Bartmann jugs have a pear-shaped body with either a flat bottom or a profiled foot. They were introduced in Siegburg around 1550 and were part of the repertoire of the Siegburg potters till the end of the 16th century (Roehmer 2014, 174). The bearded facemask was applied below the rim and reached down to the shoulder of the vessel. It was usually flanked like a collar by to diagonal ornament bands. Portrait, flower and other circular medaillons were applied to the body of the vessels.

Panel jugs might have been developed in Raeren and adopted in Siegburg from the late 1580s to around 1610 (Roehmer 2014, 209-22). The body of the vessel is divided by horizontal cordons and heavily decorated with moulded friezes, stamp impressions and cut canelures. Some panel jugs had a long spout and a flat handel attached.

Jugs with cylindrical necks were also a rather late development in Siegburg at the end of the 16th century. The body is decorated with stamp impressions, notch cuttings and canelures. These jugs were also sometimes equipped with a spout and handle.

Pear-shaped jugs were developed from Bartmann jugs in the early 17th century (Roehmer 2014, 177).

Globular bottles (Pullen) have a globular body with a narrow neck and a plain base. It was developed during the 2nd half of the 16th century from the older Raeren type (Hurst et.al. 1986, 183; Höltgen/Steinbring , 731 type 12; Roehmer 2014, 180-181). Globular bottles have been produced and used well into the 17th century (Roehmer 2014, 181), as finds from the Witte Leeuw (wrecked 1613) and the Batavia (wrecked 1629) indicate (van der Pijl-Ketel 1982, 248; Stanbury 1974, BAT 326; Green XXX). Usually they are decorated with three circular medallions, the central one sometimes being supported by heraldic animals. Some globular bottles also feature a bearded face mask.

Langerwehe

The village of Langerwehe is situated on the main road from Aachen to Frankfurt, which was also used as the coronation road. Despite the sacking of the town in 1543 and 1586 (Hurst et.al. 1986, 184), the pottery industry continued from its beginnings in the 10th century to its decline in the 19th and early 20th century. As the potters in Langerwehe usually produced an undecorated dark grey stoneware with a brown engobe, Langerwehe stoneware was not in the main focus of research (Hurst et.al. 1986, 186). It was widely trade in the 2nd half of the 14th and 15th century and can be found in virtually every site in Great Britain (Hurst et.al. 1986, 184).

In the last quarter of the 16th and the early 17th century one or more potters moved from nearby Raeren (B) to Langerwehe to set up new workshops (MennickenXXX). The production range included grey stoneware with moulded decorations and cobalt blue paint, identical to contemporary Raeren stoneware. More typical of Langerwehe became large storage pots (Baaren) and water jugs (Pützkannen), which were decorated with large applications. The jugs sometimes featured Bartmann masks.

Langerwehe stoneware was mainly traded on a regional scale during the Post-Medieval period. With almost no decoration Langerwehe was neglected by many of the researchers of Rhenish stoneware. Only Josef Schwarz, a local school teacher and founder of the Langerwehe pottery museum was interested in these plain ware. Work by John Hurst made Langerwehe stoneware widely known and recognised in British Archaeology. More recent works have been published by David Gaimster (Gaimster 1997, XXX) as well as by Thomas Höltken and Bernd Steinbring (XXX).

Ware description

Langerwehe stoneware is dark grey to blue grey. Most vessels have a brown slip engobe, but grey vessels are not uncommon (Höltken/Steinbring, 716-717). Post-Medieval wares are usually salt glazed.

During a short period at the end of the 16th century potters immigrated from Raeren produced also grey stonewares with cobalt blue decoration. As it is not distinguishable from Raeren and Westerwald grey stoneware. Those panel jugs and jugs with cylindrical necks are not described here.

Forms

Water jugs (Pützkannen) are large ovoid jugs with a frilled base. The rim wide rim shows several cordons and a spout. The body shows throwing grooves and can be decorated with a bearded face mask and up to three armorials.

Storage pots (Baaren) were probably developed by potters in Raeren, but became one of the main products in Langerwehe. The long ovoid body rests on a frilled base, while the wide mouth opens in a funnel neck. Two horizontal handles are attached to the shoulder. Late 16th and 17th century storage pots are usually decorated with just one applied armorial, while younger ones show three.

Tall tankards (Schnelle) show a single mould made application between the cordoned rim and base similar to the products from Raeren. Vessels might be either grey with cobalt blue painting or with a brown slip.

Jugs with cylindrical necks have a profiled foot and a cordoned neck. The bulbous body can be decorated with three mould made applications. Vessel form and decoration are taken over from nearby Raeren.

Raeren

From the 12th century onwards potters were operating their workshops in the villages of Raeren, Hauset, Born and Neudorf (Hurst et.al. 1986, 194, Mennicken XXX). During the later Middle Ages wares and vessel types show close resemblance to the products of Aachen and Langerwehe, making it almost impossible to distinguish between the different production centres (Höltken/Steinbring, 716-717).

Decorated vessels are hardly known in Raeren until the 2nd half of the 16th century, when a number of potters start to copy mould formed applications from Cologne ( XXX194-195). Maybe this new type of decoration was introduced by potters immigrating from Cologne (Mennicken 2023, 29). They soon developed their own style and vessel repertoire, with panel jugs becoming the best known form.

Ware description

Raeren stoneware is dark grey to blue grey. Most vessels have a brown slip engobe, but grey vessels are not uncommon (Höltken/Steinbring, 716-717). 16th century stoneware from Raeren usually has an even brown slip, which covers the entire vessels. In the 1580s the first vessels without a brown slip were made in Raeren. Instead they feature a painted decoration in cobalt blue.

Forms

Tall tankards (Schnelle) have a slightly conical body, but are far larger than the small Pinten. Schnellen from Raeren tend to be more cylindrical than the examples from Cologne and Frechen. The body is decorated with mould made applciations between two or three ridges below the rim and at the foot.

Small tankards (Pinte) can be found right from the middle of the 16th century. They are usually decorated with mould made applications between two ridges.

Bartmann jugs have an elongated, ovoid body. In contrast to the Bartmann jugs from Cologne and Frechen they have stepped foot, also the rim, separated by a ridge from the body, has a slightly larger diameter than the neck. Bartmann jugs from Raeren usually feature only the bearded face mask but no other decorations.

Three-handled jugs have an ovoid body which continues right into the wide neck. The vessels rest on a pedestal like foot. Three large handles are attached to the ridge below the rim and the shoulder of the vessel.

Jugs with cylindrical neck have a almost globular body, which rests on a profiled foot. The cylindrical neck is separated from the body by a small ridge. The neck shows strong throwing marks in contrast to the jugs from Cologne and Frechen. The body can be decorated with one or three applied medaillons.

Ovoid jugs have an ovoid slender body, similar to the Raeren Bartmann jugs. They also feature the pedestal like foot but lack the ridge below the rim. The neck is shows distinct throwing marks. The body can be decorated with one or three applied medaillons, often armorials.

Panel jugs were developed in the 1570s from jugs with cylindrical necks. Now the body has a cylindrical section, which can be decorated with frieze like applications. They are either scenic like peasant dances or a number of near identical images like the electors of Germany. Other panel applications can be found on the neck, while the rest of the body is decorated with canelures, stamp impressions or cordons.

Biconic jugs are a smaller version of panel jugs, where the cylindrical central part is left out.

Cologne

Cologne stoneware was produced in at least four workshops within the medieval city of Cologne (Hurst et.al. 1986, 208; Gaimster XXX; Falke 1908, XXX; Brill XXX). Other workshops producing identical stoneware have been excavated in Frechen, Frechen-Benzelrath, Düsseldorf and Bonn-Lengsdorf (Göbels XXX, Koenen XXX, Czielski XXX, Mitsuishi XXX).

Cologne stoneware was first recognised by XXX von Falke and has since been in the interest of Rhenish stoneware research. With the publication of the vessels kept at the Kölnische Stadtmuseum a large corpus of material is available for research (Unger XXX). There are problems with the attribution of vessels in different museum collections to the individual workshops in Cologne, as many have been acquired from the arts and antiques market.

Only two sites in Cologne have seen archaeological excavation, but still lack a full publication (Brill XXX; Berthold XXX). Therefore no information is available on the internal development of forms and decorations as well as the ratio of decorated to undecorated vessels.

The production of decorated stoneware began in Cologne around 1520 (XXX) with jugs, showing vines with oak leafs or rose buds. Many of them also have an mould made bearded face mask applied below the rim. Around 1550 Bartmann jugs show a central ornament band around the body together with acanthus leafs and portrait medallions.

Ware description

Like the other stoneware centres of Frechen, Raeren or Langerwehe, Cologne has a dark grey fabric. The surface is always covered by a brown slip with a light salt glaze (Hurst et.al. 1986, 208). High quality pieces in museum collections usually show an even brown surface, whereas finds from archaeological excavations at the production sites also show examples of patchy (like Raeren) or mottled surfaces (like Frechen). Some Bartmann jugs also have their eyes and beards accentuated with cobalt blue.

Forms

Jugs with cylindrical necks have a almost globular body, which rests on a profiled foot. The cylindrical neck is separated from the body by a small ridge. These jugs are usually undecorated, but some jugs with oak and rose vine decorations are known from the Maximinenstraße kiln site.

Small tankards (Pinte) have a slightly conical body and a flat bottom. Pairs of cordons can be found beneath the rim, at the middle of the vessel and close to the bottom, all imitating the appearance of wooden tankards. From the Maximinenstraße kiln site there are also a few small tankards known, which have an overall mould made decoration.

Tall tankards (Schnelle) also have a slightly conical body, but are far larger than the small Pinten. The body is decorated with mould made applications between two or three ridges below the rim and at the foot.

Bartmann jugs (wide mouthed) have a pear shaped body with a wide mouth. Beneath the rim there is a ridge, which is also the upper limit for the applied face mask. Bartmann jugs have a profiled foot and a single handle.

Bartmann jugs (bottle type) have a bulbous almost globular body with a thin neck, often separated by a ridge. In contrast to the jugs with cylindrical necks there is also a ridge below the rim.

Bottles with double handles have a globular body which continues into a long neck. Below the rim, on the neck itself and at the transition to the body are distinct ridges. Two handles above each other are attached at one side.

Funnel neck beakers have a funnel neck, ovoid body and a frilled base. Usually there is a small handle attached to the body. The body can be decorated with oak leaf and acorn vines.

Globular flasks with long neck have a globular body on a profiled food. The long and thin neck is separated from the body by a ridge. A handle is attached to the ridge below the rim and the shoulder of the vessel. Body and neck are decorated with mould made applications.

Frechen

To our current knowledge production of decorated stoneware began in Frechen around the middle of the 16th century, when Bartmann jugs with naturalistic face masks, central band, acanthus leaves and portrait medaillons became fashionable. A first historic reference for stoneware potters is known from 1544 (Göbels XXX).

With the movement of potters from Cologne to Frechen and strong family ties between the two places, vessel forms, decoration style and appearance in Cologne and Frechen are almost identical in this period.

During the 17th century potters from Frechen moved to Stadtlohn and Vreden in Westfalia (Elling XXX) as well as to London (XXX) to start new workshops there. Especially the early products, mainly Bartmann jugs, closely resemble the Frechen originals.

Ware description

Most of the Frechen stoneware has a dark grey fabric with a brown iron rich slip (Hurst u.a. 214). Vessels were usually dipped into the slip upside down, leaving the inside and sometimes also the lower part of the vessel without slip.

Frechen stoneware is always salt glazed turning the slip into a mottled ‘Tiger’ surface. During the 16th century an even brown surface similar to Cologne stoneware is not unusual.

Typology and Chronology

Jugs with cylindrical necks have a almost globular body, which rests on a profiled foot. The cylindrical neck is separated from the body by a small ridge. Unlike in Cologne, where some decorated vessels are known, the Frechen jugs are undecorated.

Bartmann jugs (bottle type) have a bulbous almost globular body with a thin neck, often separated by a ridge. In contrast to the jugs with cylindrical necks there is also a ridge below the rim. Before the end of the 16th century this vessel type changes, as there is no longer a cordoned foot but a flat base. Also the rim changes from the plain version with a terminal cordon, which was used with a metal lid, to a cordoned version, which was closed with a cork and additional textile cover.

Bartmann jugs (ovoid type) developed from the bottle type Bartmann jug, when after 1600 the body became elongated. The vessel has a flat bottom and several ridges below the rim. The jugs show a more stylised face mask and an applied medallion on the body below the face mask. This type of Bartmann jugs was produced well into the 18th century, until all vessels were made without any applied decoration. During the 17th and especially 18th century larger jugs with capacities up to 10 litres were produced.

Tall tankards (Schnelle) also have a slightly conical body, but are far larger than the small Pinten. The body is decorated with mould made applciations between two or three ridges below the rim and at the foot.

Storage pots were introduced in the later 16th century and changed little during time. They have a cylindrical, slightly bulbous body with a flat bottom and an everted rim with a XXX Deckelfalz. Foot is accentuated by a groove, a second groove can be found on the shoulder of the vessel, where the two horizontal handles are attached.

Westerwald Stoneware

The area around Höhr, Grenzhausen and Grenzau in the Westerwald region near Koblenz provides all raw materials necessary for pottery production. At least from the Late Middle Ages onwards a grey stoneware with a brown slip was produced in several places.

The situation changed, when at the end of the 16th century several potters from Siegburg and Raeren moved to the Westerwald. They gained privileges from local lords allowing them the exclusive production of grey stoneware with cobalt blue painted decoration, a style which was probably developed in Raeren around XXX.

The new immigrants introduced their vessel forms and decoration styles, which were immediately adopted by the local craftsmen. With the move of potters from the Westerwald region back to Raeren, Siegburg, Troisdorf-Altenrath and, from XXX onwards, to Meckenheim-Adendorf the production of bluegrey stoneware spread. During the 17th and 18th century Westerwald stoneware was also produced in Huy and Namur in todays Belgium (Challe XXX).

Ware Description

Westerwald stoneware has a grey fabric, which especially in the later 18th and 19th century, was not always fused completely. The vessels were decorated with moulded applications, stamp impression as well as cut decors. From the late 16th century onwards cobalt blue and from 1665 manganese purple were used for painted decoration (Hurst u.a. , 222). Westerwald stoneware is always salt glazed.

The decoration patterns change through time. In the late 16th and early 17th century mould made applications were used to cover zones and panels. The dividing cordons were often decorated with roller stamps. From around 1650 vessels were covered by overall rosettes and other small applications. In addition globular bottles and chamber pots were decorated with three larger medaillions, often showing coats of arms.

In the 18th century mould made applications are superseded by stamped and incised decorations.

Typology and Chronology

Globular mugs (Kugelbauchkrüge) are a distinct type of Westerwald stoneware. The globular body rests on a profiled foot with ridges and grooves. The cylindrical neck is also covered by alternating ridges and grooves. A cordon separates the neck from the plain rim. these jugs have one strap handle.

Pear-shaped jugs (Birnbauchkrüge) have a pear-shaped body. The plain rim is seperated by one cordon or a series of cordons and grooves from the body, which is usually decorated with a series of small identical medallions.

Biconic jugs are a smaller version of panel jugs, where the cylindrical central part is left out.

Chamber pots have a globular body with the upper and lower section being cut off. The rim is everted with a bevelled outside and a concave inside. Later examples of the 18th century have flanged rim. The body is usually decorated with three medaillions, the central one flanked by two heraldic lions.

Oval ‘star’ jugs (Sternenkannen) have a olive-shaped body on a profiled foot. The narrow neck is decorated with a series of cordons, ridges and grooves. The rim has a pulled spout, underneath of which is an applied mascaron or lions head. The body features a central medallion which is flanked by radiating triangular palmettes in the form of a star.

Tankards have been developed during the 17th century and were in use into the 18th and 19th century. The cylindrical body is lower than the older Schnelle-type tankards. A series of cordons and grooves can be found below the rim and above the base. The middle section was decorated with a series of identical medaillions or panel applications.

Globular bottles (Pullen) have a globular body with a flat base. The body narrows down to the plain rim. A distinct cordon can be found just above the shoulder. Here a strap handel is attached, which leads down to the shoulder. Globular bottles are usually decorated with three medallions, the central one often between two heraldic lions, and one or two horizontal rows of stamp impression on the shoulder.

Storage pots have an elongated, slightly bulbous body with a flat base. The wide rim is usually everted with a bevelled outside and a concave inside. To horizontal handles are attached to the shoulder. On the shoulder and just above the base is a series of ridges and grooves. The central part is decorated with incised and painted figures and floral motives. Storage pots were developed in the 18th century.

Bibliography

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Map by Christoph Keller (LVR-ABR Bonn)