Jug From Waldenburg, 15th Century / History

Waldenburg is a city in Saxony, famous for its pottery, where the tradition of ceramic production dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The first guild producing ceramics was established there in 1388. Waldenburg pottery has a characteristic cylindrical shape, a distinct foot and a range of decorative motifs. In the later periods of ceramic production, its appearance changed due to the influence of the workshops on the Rhine.

The most interesting form of this pottery is a jug with a representation of a human face (known as the Gesichtskrug). The facial feature in the upper part of the jug was hand-formed. An interesting fact is that the image of a bearded man is considered to be the Wild Man, a mythical creature inhabiting the forests of the Harz and Ore Mountains. Waldenburg pottery has also been found in Golczewo and Darłowo, as well as in Frombork, Gdańsk, Kołobrzeg, Elbląg and Wrocław.

Jug from Waldenburg, 15th century

cylindrical shape