Comics on Raeren jugs

In the second half of the 16th century, the Raeren potters developed a revolutionary technical variety in form. Out of the former spherical jug forms they developed a new, architectonically strictly structured form. This showed from bottom to top a foot, a cylindrical middle part, a shoulder and a neck. The cylindrical middle part enabled the potters to put on friezes instead of the previously used coat of arms and medallions. Those told whole stories in the style of nowadays comics with the help of pictures and text. Religious and profane motives served as entertainment for the users and made the Raeren stoneware even more popular.

Modern comic strip from the series "The Peanuts"

Frieze on a Raeren jug with mythological characters and the saying: "Everything in the house is turned upside down when the cock is silent and the hen crows."

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When the farmers dance

One of the most popular motives on Raeren jugs of the 16th century is the farmer's dance. This motif appears also very often in the painting of this time and actually originates in the changing order of society. At the same time, it allows an interesting view on the celebrations and parties of those days. The drafts of the Raeren farmer's dance, of which there exist more than 30 variations, originate in a series of copperplate engravings of the Nürnberg master Hans Sebald Beham (1500-1550).

The most frequent text on the farmer's dance jugs reads:
GERET DU MUS DAPER BLASEN
SO DANSSEN DIE BUREN ALS WEREN SI RASEN
FRI UF SPRICHT BASTOR
ICH VERDANS DI KAP MIT EN KOR:
Gerhard, you have to blow heartily,
so that the farmers dance furiously.
Right on, says the pastor,
I dance away the hat, the amict (shoulder cloth) and the choir coat.

Drafts by Hans Sebald Beham for the Raeren farmer's dance jugs

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Susan, Judith and the Christ Child

Many motives on the Raeren picture friezes are of religious nature. One of the most popular was surely the story of the chaste virgin Susan from the Old Testament. Also other religious motives originate in the Old Testament, for example the story of Judith. Motives from the New Testament were used as well, such as the beheading of John or the story of Christ's birth. All these religious motives were known to the people and served the devoutness of the people even when eating and drinking.

The creation of Eve

The seven works of charity: to feed the hungry, to water the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to accommodate friends, to visit the sick, to comfort prisoners, to bury the dead

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Political propaganda

The Raeren potters portrayed not only religious but also profane motives on their jugs. To those belong scenes from Greek and Roman mythology. Farm labourers, the soldiers of the Thirty Years War, coats of arms and people of world history were popular as well. Further, there were also purely decorative geometric or botanical patterns. Sometimes those jugs also served as political propaganda, for example the friezes with the picture of Electors or other European rulers.

Sun medallions with alchemistic (?) signs

Medallion with the portray of Alexander the Great

Picture frieze with Roman gods

Picture frieze with popular political persons of the 16th century

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Bearded-men

Mankind has always self-portrayed itself in art. This is also true for the potters who already in the 15th century produced so-called face jugs in Raeren. The jug served as head in which the facial mimicry was carved and moulded. In the 16th century, the Frechen potters used this idea and produced numerous so-called bearded-men. Those were very popular especially in England. The Raeren potters also produced those bearded-men jugs in large numbers. From the 17th century on, those bearded-men masks changed into animal or devil’s faces, so-called grotesques.

Carved and moulded face

Applied Raeren bearded-men

Raeren grotesque (devil’s face)