Krüg

Unknown

dated 1684 · Faience (tin-glazed earthenware); silver gilt · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Krüge were used to serve wine and were filled directly from the barrel or from a large container standing in a cistern of cool water, as is frequently shown in genre paintings. This krüg probably belonged to an Augustinian monastery near Frankfurt. The painted decoration refers to a story about Saint Augustine. Once, while walking beside the sea, wrestling with the mystery of the Trinity, the saint came upon a child spooning water into a bucket. When told it is impossible to convey all the sea into the bucket, the child responded that it is equally impossible to comprehend the Trinity.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated 1684

Medium

Faience (tin-glazed earthenware); silver gilt

Culture

German, Frankfurt

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of Lola Kramarsky, in memory of Siegfried Kramarsky, 1991