Jug
ca. 1547–50
Medium
Lead-glazed earthenware, some tin-glaze
Dimensions
Height: 19 13/16 in. (50.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
German, Nuremberg
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of Florence Ellsworth Wilson, 1954
Accession Number
54.147.50
Tags
About this artwork
Paul Preuning's monumental jug from circa 1547-50 represents one of the rarest early German Renaissance ceramic genres: polychrome lead-glazed hafnerware with relief decoration. Preuning's workshop outside Nuremberg's Tiergarten Gate produced distinctive earthenware derived from stove tile traditions, with molded reliefs colored with vibrant glazes. Only approximately fifty examples survive today, making each extraordinarily precious. The twenty-inch height suggests display use, likely commissio...