SUPER TIGER GLAZE BELLARMINE STONEWARE WINE BOTTLE 1640 Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 910.00 Time Left - Bid Count 9 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, August 11, 2008 End Time Thursday, August 21, 2008 Location Smyrna, Delaware See more about 'SUPER TIGER GLAZE BELLARMINE STONEWARE WINE BOTTLE 1640' Description rhusrluk rhusrluk Antiques in good taste – harmic.little PRECIOUS AND FEW! A fine German stoneware Bellarmine spirits bottle or ‘Bartmann' jug with a stunning mottled yellow and ginger 'tiger' saltglaze; the narrow neck with an applied Cardinal Bellarmine or 'Green Man' mask, the belly with a stylized flower and inverted heart design; probably Frechen, possibly Woolwich (London) circa 1640 – 1660. This beautiful Bellarmine would grace any specialist private or museum collection. It is also a magnificent item for displaying on an early period tavern table. The bottle is beautifully and robustly potted with a bulbous body. There are a series of turned rings below the mouth, and a short foot. There is a primitive 'Cardinal Bellarmine' mask just under the mouth with what one might term a 'serious' expression. There is an applied medallion on the fattest part of the belly containing a stylized flower in the lower part and an inverted heart in the upper part. An interesting feature is the base, which does not appear to be wire-cut, as with most German stoneware bottles of this period, but is scraped smooth in the manner of English-made Bellarmines. There appears to be the outline of a rectangular firing pad on the underside of the foot (see the relevant photograph, below), this could also be seen as an English feature. The top of the handle has two small pierced holes for fitting a pewter lid or cap. While it is likely that this is a Frechen product, it is also possible that it was made at Woolwich in London in the 1640s or 1650s. This may explain the rudimentary medallion and smooth base. We know that a small experimental kiln was made by German immigrant potters at the Old Woolwich Ferry approach in London in the 1640s, but little is known about its products, so a positive identification in respect of this bottle is not possible given the current state of knowledge (see David Gaimster German Stoneware 1200 – 1900 [1997], pp. 309ff., for fascinating remarks on the Woolwich and early Fulham stoneware Bartmanns). Also, see Gaimster page 222, plate 72, for a variant of this medallion and with a similar oval 'railroad track' border. Frechen, the more likely source of this fine jug, is a small town only a few miles from Cologne near the Eifel foothills. It has good deposits of high-silica clay and quartz sand, essential for the making of stoneware (Gaimster, op. cit. p. 208). Some typical examples of Frechen stoneware bottles of the 1600-50 period can be seen in Gaimster (op. cit., pp. 220 - 222). This superb bottle is approximately 8 inches tall and 5 1/8 inches in diameter at the widest point. There is a professional (invisible) restored chip on the rim, which no one would ever know unless they were told. There are no cracks. It is now in superb condition. Well that's it! What a fine bottle this is!! This has all the characteristics collectors want: detailed bearded face mask, nice applied medallion, good early bulbous form, and above all a dramatic tiger glaze. All you have to do now is make sure you manage to buy it. Even if you don't succeed, thanks so much for bidding with harmic.little and good luck! Absolutely guaranteed authentic. Insurance is included in USA Priority mail shipping. Why not visit the 'harmic.little' eBay shop to view the finest early English and European ceramics regularly available on eBay? PLEASE CLICK HERE to see all of our current items displayed simultaneously on our GALLERY page. Our eBay early pottery shop is always open!Please stay tuned for other interesting ceramics in the days and weeks ahead! Thank you for looking, watching, and bidding! ANTIQUES – HELPING TO PROTECT YOUR FUTURE BY INVESTING IN THE PAST! INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS will be sent an exact cost quote for shipping costs within 48 hours of the end of auction. We use United States Postal Service (USPS) for International shipments. There are no handling charges. Please note that we cannot give the total postage cost of any item before the sale ends, as every item differs in respect of weight, size, and insurance charges. Place a Bid!