VERY RARE Large WESTERWALD GR Tavern Jug 1715 Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 1,277.00 Time Left - Bid Count 19 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, December 01, 2008 End Time Thursday, December 11, 2008 Location Fort Myers, Florida See more about 'VERY RARE Large WESTERWALD GR Tavern Jug 1715' Description rhusrluk rhusrluk Antique pottery in good taste – harmic.little A truly magnificent and very rare Westerwald stoneware tavern jug or pitcher elaborately decorated in blue and manganese with sgraffito abstract leaves and scrolling flowers; the front with a superbly detailed medallion with the royal 'GR' cipher unusually colored in manganese, above a 'Wild Man' mask; the back with a painted 1/2 capacity mark in blue; Germany, Westerwald region, circa 1715 – 1720. This is a rare opportunity for the specialist Westerwald stoneware collector or dealer to purchase this museum-worthy jug. I have seldom come across a jug of this type with the purple 'GR' cipher and the 'Wild Man' mask. To get one from the reign of Geroge I is a real bonus, as the quality on these early GR jugs is always really outstanding (see the detailed photographs below). These wonderful jugs were made in large numbers during the reigns of the three Georges and were exported from the Westerwald region of Germany to England and some of them on to the American colonies. They served as personal tavern drinking vessels for beer and wine. The front and sides of this beautiful and unique jug are covered with intricate leaf and flower patterns, some realistic, some abstract, done in 'sgraffito' (scratch) technique. The combination of the different styles, painted in the two different colors, is most unusual. On the center of the front of the jug is a beautiful applied heraldic medallion bearing the 'GR' cipher, (representing King George I). It is most unusual to get the 'GR' cipher colored in manganese, as it is in this case. The medallion incorporates a finely detailed crown above the GR monogram, with a frowning 'Wild Man's' head below. The neck of the jug is washed in manganese and decorated with multiple grooves. The top of the handle has a hole pierced in the clay to enable a pewter lid to be fitted – always the option of the owner. This would keep out flies and dust from the beer inside. There is a ½ capacity mark hand painted on the back of the jug (under the handle). These beautiful and functional jugs represented a considerable advance in hygiene over the old porous earthenware vessels they superseded. They could be cleaned easily and they did not chip or crack with quite the same degree of frequency as their predecessors. The condition is really excellent for the period. There is no damage as such in the way of chips, cracks or restoration. The height of the jug is approximately 9 3/4 inches. The base diameter measures 3 1/2 inches. This is a unique opportunity to add a very rare and unusual Westerwald GR jug to your private / museum collection or inventory. We are rarely able to offer pieces of this importance, so are very pleased to be able to offer this superb example to our specialist dealers and collectors. Good luck with this magnificent Westerwald 'GR' jug and thanks for bidding with harmic.little! 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!