Bartmann jugs are a type of stoneware pottery developed in Rhineland region of Germany from the early 1500s. 

Stoneware pottery is made from clay which has been fired at a hotter temperature than other pottery. This makes it higher quality, stronger, and longer lasting. This technique made Rhenish pottery like the Bartmann jugs an export hit! 

Big business 

For many years, the Rhineland pottery industry had a monopoly on the market and the technology used to develop Bartmann jugs. However, their success and popularity inspired imitations, with similar designs appearing across Europe and beyond (as far away as Georgia or Japan).  

This includes places like England, which didn’t have a history of stoneware production. In the middle of the 1600s, new potteries were set up in Fulham and Woolwich to reproduce the Bartmann designs and techniques. 

We're exploring the trial and error of innovation, as well as the transfers of ideas and knowledge, which led to such a variety of Bartmann jugs produced outside the Rhineland.  

We're investigating: 

  • The network of potteries which produced Bartman jugs and the techniques they used. 

  • How this technology and design spread to other regions and countries. 

  • Origins of the iconic Bartmann face design and how it started to be used by the potters. 

  • The influence of imported Bartmann jugs on English ceramic industries and the development of stoneware in England. 

Expand the boxes below to read some of our research questions. These will help us meet the main aim of our project, which is to understand the influence and impact of Bartmann jugs across the world. 

Our research questions

Where does the idea of placing bearded faces on jugs come from?

Bartmann jugs might be known for their iconic faces, but they aren’t the first pots to have faces as decoration. Depictions of human bodies and faces have been used to decorate ceramic vessels in many different cultures and time periods.  

We’ll explore other examples, such as European earthenware and stoneware pottery from the Middle Ages which have similar faces.  

How did the movement and migration of potters affect the development of Bartmann jugs?

We want to know more about where the potters came from, where they migrated to and how this affects the design and spread of Bartmann jugs? 

We also want to explore the reasons which led these potters to leave their homes and seek opportunities elsewhere.

Do the variations in design reflect the changes in function of the jugs or the meaning of the bearded face?

We want to understand how changes in the design and style of the jugs relate to how they were used in different countries, and how this changed over time.