Westerwald pottery

{{short description|Type of stoneware manufactured in Westerwald, Germany}} {{-}} thumb|right|Domestic pottery '''Westerwald pottery''', or '''Westerwald stoneware''', is a distinctive type of salt glazed grey pottery from the Höhr-Grenzhausen and Ransbach-Baumbach area of Westerwaldkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Typically, Westerwald pottery is decorated with cobalt blue painted designs, although some later examples are white. It may also be decorated with contrasting black or brown-purple designs.<ref name="brit">{{cite web |title=Westerwald stoneware |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Westerwald-stoneware |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> The salt glaze creates a glossy surface.<ref name="jamestowne">{{cite web |title=Westerwald Stoneware |url=https://historicjamestowne.org/collections/artifacts/material/westerwald/ |website=Historic Jamestowne |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> It is also known as Kannenbäckerland stoneware.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==History== Westerwald pottery originated from potting families from Siegburg and Raeren, in present-day Belgium, who emigrated to the Westerwald area in the 1580s and 1590s.<ref name="jamestowne" /> These immigrants included Anno Knütgen and his family, who traveled from Siegburg to Höhr, and the Mennicken family, who traveled from Raeren to Grenzhausen.<ref name="brit" />

By the 17th century, Westerwald stoneware became widely distributed throughout the world. The stoneware was often sent to British markets, sometimes with a molded medallion containing a portrait of William III of England inside a border with the king's name.<ref name="brain">{{cite book |last1=Brain |first1=Jeffrey |title=Tunica Treasure |date=1979 |isbn=978-0-87365-196-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fEvzAAAAMAAJ |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> Others featured portraits of Louis XIV of France. Westerwald stoneware intended for the home market, rather than heraldry, often featured patterns of rosettes, lion's heads, cherubs, and stars.<ref name="hannover">{{cite book |last1=Hannover |first1=Emil |title=Europe and the Near East, earthenware and stoneware |date=1925 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VNdOAQAAMAAJ |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>

The Keramikmuseum Westerwald in Höhr-Grenzhausen displays the construction techniques and the history of salt glaze.<ref name="museum">{{cite web |title=Keramikmuseum Westerwald |url=https://www.keramikmuseum.de/ |website=Keramikmuseum.de |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:German pottery Category:Westerwaldkreis Category:History of the Westerwald