Ik kwam deze 15^de-eeuwse aardewerk koekmal op het spoor, met daarin een afbeelding van de Maria-Boodschap (Annunciatie).  Je ziet hoe Maria van de engel Gabriël te horen krijgt dat ze Jezus zal baren. In de bovenhoek van de mal stuurt God het kindje met een kruis over zijn schouder naar de aarde. Met deze mal kon je op specifieke feestdagen thematisch verantwoorde koekjes bakken, bijvoorbeeld tijdens Maria-Boodschap. Misschien een beetje gek om je tanden in Maria te zetten, maar wel lekker. Tenminste… dat vermoed ik. Helaas is er geen handleiding bij de middeleeuwse koekmal ontdekt.

Ik maakte een replica van de koekmal en Noor bakte een handvol koekjes met een traditioneel Springerle deeg van ei, bloem, suiker en anijs. Het deeg moet met wat bloem stevig in de mal worden gedrukt. Na het lospeuteren lijkt de afdruk niet erg duidelijk maar in de daaropvolgende twee dagen wordt het reliëf scherper. Zo lang moet het afgevormde deeg namelijk rusten voordat het de oven in gaat! De bovenkant van de koekjes droogt daardoor uit en wordt lekker knapperig, terwijl het onderste deel nog kan rijzen.

De mal komt uit het Kunstgewerbemuseum en is te dateren in de tweede kwart van de15de eeuw. Op de banderol die Gabriël vasthoudt, staat “[ecce] ancilla d[omi]ni”: “zie, de dienstmaagd des heren”.

I came across this medieval earthenware cookie mold, featuring an image of the Annunciation. You can see Mary being told by the angel Gabriel that she will give birth to Jesus. In the upper corner of the mold, God sends the child to Earth with a cross over his shoulder. With this mold, people could bake thematically appropriate cookies on specific holidays, such as the Feast of the Annunciation. Maybe a little strange to sink your teeth into Mary, but certainly tasty. At least… I assume so. Unfortunately, no instructions were found with this medieval cookie mold.

I made a replica of the cooky mold an then Noor baked a few cookies using a traditional Springerle dough made of egg, flour, sugar, and anise. The dough must be firmly pressed into the mold with a little flour. At first glance, the imprint doesn’t look very clear, but in the following two days, the relief became sharper. That’s how long the cookies have to rest before they go into the oven! As a result, the top of the cookies dries out and becomes nice and crispy, while the bottom part can still rise.

 

The mold is from the Kunstgewerbemuseum and dates back to the second quarter of the 15th century. The scroll that Gabriel is holding reads “[ecce] ancilla d[omi]ni”: “behold, the handmaiden of the Lord”.

My article about a puzzle jug was published in Vormen uit Vuur no. 261.
In this text I mainly focus on the process of reconstructing such a jug. There is also an introduction about the use and symbolism and a small portion about using a replica puzzle jug for audience participation in historical presentations. There is an English translation included in the back of the magazine. The text with pictures is nine pages long. 

 

The owl beaker head and body (right) were made more than 400 years ago in the Netherlands. They don’t belong together but they do fit! Both are in the Boijmans van Beuningen museum, where I once had the opportunity to see them from up close. 
Why an owl? Owls produce pellets that they throw up. This looks like vomiting, which humans do when drinking too much from an owl beaker. This is only one possible explanation.  
The owl was used for all kinds of symbolic reasons in art around 1600, but not all of these symbolic values are easy to connect to these cups. However, owl beakers were sometimes given away as prices for shooting competitions, likely because the owl was used as a decoy for catching other birds.
The owl beaker was thrown on the potters wheel and then decorated with all the additional details. The glaze is a tin glaze with blue (cobalt) painting. 

Bottles for feeding kids have a long history! Here are a Roman example and a medieval one, alongside the replicas that I made. The very round Roman bottle was found in the Netherlands  but I have no exact dating with it. It’s part of the RMO collection in Leiden. The medieval jug has the advantage that it’s made of stoneware. It’s probably easier to keep it clean. The jug was made in Langerwehe around 1350-1400. The original is in the Boijmans van Beuningen museum.

 

I was visited by V.Birchwood for this video. You get to see the production process of a stoneware cup – from kickwheel to wood kiln. The video also contains an interview. These sessions turned out to be a good moment to reflect on trial and error. 

 

Yesterday this facejug was on Dutch television. I would like to add and correct a couple of things.
The historian in the show doubts that the jug was found in an Amsterdam canal. I would say it’s not unlikely, since many comparable pieces have been found in Amsterdam (including the one I own myself).
The production region of the “puntneuskruik” is Aken and Raeren. The jugs were often made with a pinched foot, but a flat base wasn’t particularly uncommon. Comparable facejugs are usually dated between 1470 and 1550. I wouldn’t dare to date a piece more specifically without a finding context.

I understand that the experts in the show have to know a lot about a huge range of items, so these remarks are not meant as critique.

You can watch the show here. The fragment with the facejug is 15:53 – 20:25
https://npo.nl/start/afspelen/diverse-musea-1_22

Fresh pottery from the kiln. Replica’s of mostly medieval and early modern ceramics. An owl beaker, Italian majolica, Delftware, Spanish lusterware, a puzzle jug and more!

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to see a 400 year old owl beaker in the Boijmans van Beuningen depot. Here I’m working on a replica. The technique used for decorating this kind of luxury pottery was oxide pigments on top of a white tin glaze. In this video I’m working with cobalt, which will turn blue when fired.

 

One day before firing. Tomorrow is a hot day for these cups, jugs, bowls, whorls and dishes.