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| Figure 11 A group of bottles, Frechen, ca. 1680. Salt-glazed stoneware. H. of tallest: 9 1/4". During the seventeenth century, German “bellarmine” bottles were used throughout western Europe and North America as the containers of choice for wine, oil, and other liquids. Their ubiquitous presence is evidenced by numerous archaeological specimens found in Anglo-American contexts. These specimens are typical examples with the distinctive bearded mask and applied seals. The pronounced lips were used to fasten wires over the corks that sealed the bottles. Collectors commonly use the term bellarmine in referring to these bottles. In the period, the Germans called these jugs “bartmann” (bearded man) while the British used the term “grey beards.” |
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