German Westerwald Stoneware Beer Pitcher with Cobalt Decoration. Particularly stylish leaf pattern on the face of the pitcher, with a tin lid attached to the handle to uncover the top when manipulated. The number 1 1/2 is incised into the ceramic near the base of the handle. 

Condition: Great. 

Size: 7 x 11 1/2 in. 

Westerwald pottery, or Westerwald stoneware, is a distinctive type of salt glazed grey pottery from the Höhr-Grenzhausen and Ransbach-Baumbach area of Westerwaldkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Typically, Westerwald pottery is decorated with cobalt blue painted designs, although some later examples are white. It may also be decorated with contrasting black or brown-purple designs, and the salt glaze creates a glossy surface. Westerwald pottery originated from potting families from Siegburg and Raeren, in present-day Belgium, who emigrated to the Westerwald area in the 1580s and 90s. By the 17th Century Westerwald stoneware became widely distributed throughout the world. The stoneware was often sent to British markets, sometimes with a molded medallion containing a portrait of William III of England inside a border with the king’s name. Others featured portraits of Louis XIV of France and other heads of state. Westerwald stoneware intended for the home market, rather than heraldry, often featured patterns of rosettes, lion’s heads, cherubs, and stars. Today pieces are still made, though not in as great abundance, and the Keramikmuseum Westerwald in Höhr-Grenzhausen displays their construction techniques and the history of their salt glaze.

Great.