Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876 — John Shaqi
Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876Elliott, Charles Wyllys
History
Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876
Elliott, Charles Wyllys
Pottery -- History; Pottery -- Marks
The _Graybeards_, or _Longbeards_, or _Bellarmines_, were made largely
in the Low Countries for their own uses, and were exported to England.
We give an illustration (Fig. 57) of one in Mr. Prime's collection.
There is also an excellent one, I believe, in possession of Dr. Breck,
of Springfield, Massachusetts. These were intended for use, and usually
carried from one quart to three gallons. They were always in brown--at
least I have seen none in the gray; but their decoration was sometimes
touched with the violet-color. They are a very handsome and decorative
bottle. The name of "Bellarmine" was given them because, in the
sixteenth century, when these bottles were made and used, the Cardinal
Bellarmin was sent into the Low Countries to counteract the movements of
the pernicious Reformers then so zealously at work there. He was
cordially hated by the Protestants, and received from them his due share
of contumely. Having a short stature and a large stomach, like the
Longbeard bottles, and, as they said, holding like them much vinous or
other liquor, they soon called the bottle a Bellarmine, which name it
bears to this day--so that, indeed, it may be said, the bottle has
immortalized the man.
These bottles were largely in use on the Continent and in England all
through Shakespeare's time, and one was dug up on the site of the
"Boar's Head at Eastcheap." The "pottle-pot," as the bottle was then
called, held about two quarts. In one of the old English plays, Clodpate
says: "Uds-buds, my head begins to turn round; but let's into the house.
'Tis dark, we'll have one Bellarmine more, and then Bonus Nocius."
Sometimes these Graybeards were handsomely mounted, and came to be
ranked high among the household gods. An inventory of the Duke of
Burgundy, made in 1467, speaks of one of them as being decorated with
silver and gold: "Ung hault _Goblet de Terre_ ouvré et chiqueté à ung
visaige d'un heremite, garny au dessus et au dessoubs d'argent doré, et
le couvercle aussi d'argent doré."
Upon the Rhine these stone pots are still made for common uses, and
largely; the same sort of clay is also extensively converted into
seltzer-water bottles. Near Coblentz are several potteries devoted to
this sort of work. At these places, since the great desire for
interesting pottery has sprung up, some very fair copies of the old
_grès_ have been made. At first they were made with considerable care,
and then had _some_ value, showing us, as they did, what this very
quaint and very original pottery was; and they were of value, as we
could not have the originals. But now there is no restraint, and they
are turned out by the ship-load in a slovenly style, and are to be seen
in every shop-window. Fortunately, they do not pretend to be the _real_
thing; and, fortunately, they will have but a short existence, as they
do not grow out of any true want or true use.
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