Large private collection of tankards

Since the Middle Ages the tankard had been an important household item, most likely because of the simple mechanical device that had been affixed to its top. In all its simplicity the tip-up lid was a brilliant invention. It was practical and useful in the summertime when flies would be everywhere, and it made it much easier to keep hot drinks from getting cold.

In the Middle Ages the Rhine Valley was the most important of the European centres of stoneware production. The fine, greyish, almost cement-like ceramics from the Siegburg area was among the most outstanding products.
Grés de Flandres or Westerwald ceramics, as it is known to collectors today, is a kind of grey salt-glazed stoneware with a most characteristic glazing ranging from blackish blue to manganese-purple tones of colour. In the Westerwald area the most common types of tankards were the "Enghalskrug" (a tankard with a long narrow neck) and the "Kugelbauchkrug" (a tankard with a globular body), while the "Walzenkrug" (a cylindrical tankard) was the basic form in most other parts of Germany.

This impressive collection consists of no less than 64 tankards and mugs. It was initiated in the late 1940's by a passionate collector. The collector was a display artist by profession and worked at several international exhibitions. He travelled extensively in Denmark and abroad which gave him ample opportunity to collect tankards and mugs from all over Germany. By 1964 his collection was so large and comprehensive that the public started to take notice and newspaper articles began to appear.

A large versatility of age, type and decoration is reflected in the collection. Several of the tankards are beautifully decorated in blue or polychrome colours with figures, animals and flowers in landscapes or ornaments, all of them fitted with pewter lids that are often meticulously engraved or
chased with signature and year.