Bellermine Jug

Bellermine Jug Physical Object


Accession Number
1986.008.0653
Creation Date
circa 1700
Materials
Description
Absent neck and handle.

Dimensions

10cm H x 13 cm W , Item (Overall)

0 kg Weight

Absent neck and handle.

Exhibition Label
A small, incomplete stoneware jar, 10.2 centimeters wide and 13.3 cm tall, comes from the 1700 English slave ship Henrietta Marie. The jar bears the likeness of a bearded man thought to be a caricature of the prominent Catholic theologian Roberto Bellarmino. Such jars often held liquor and were used by Protestants to mock Bellarmino’s anti-alcohol stance. Bellarmine jugs also occasionally served as “witch bottles,” filled with magical charms and urine as anti-witchcraft devices. No contents were found in the Henrietta Marie jar, and Its function remains unknown.