c. 1620

Jug with the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy and the Last Judgment

In the early period of Westerwald’s stoneware production, the forms of its vessels were frequently based on architectonic baluster jugs from Raeren. Nevertheless, potters soon devised their own figurative compositions as decorations for their wares. The scenes around this jug are based on a set of prints published in Augsburg in 1600. They depict the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting prisoners, and burying the dead.