Tankard

Abraham Carré, Stockholm, or Hans Meijer, Turku, between 1694–1716. Height 14 cm.

This tankard is a German-style baroque tankard with ample embossed decorations. The cylindrical body, even lid, three spherical feet and thumb rest in the lid are all typical baroque tankard features. The tankard is also regular in size; baroque tankards were made in different sizes, ranging from small tankards that hold a few decilitres to impressive luxury items that hold several litres. Tankards were usually meant for drinking beer.

This tankard has marks from both Abraham Carré from Stockholm and Hans Meijer from Turku. It is unclear how Hans Meijer contributed to making the tankard. Meijer was an assay master in Turku in 1695–1716, so the mark might be his hallmark to denote he assayed the silver content of the tankard.

A motif has been embossed onto the side, copied on the basis of Matthäus Merian the Elder’s engraving (1630), depicting Dido, the Queen of Carthage, acquiring the territory to found the city of Carthage. Floral motifs were often used in the embossed decorations of tankards during the Baroque, but some tankards also had smooth sides, with the decorations centred on the cast parts and the lid.

32100:1 Collection Aspelin-Haapkylä

Sources:

Fagerström 2000, s. 38–39. Borg 1972 (1935), s. 55–57.

Kuurne 2018, s. 66–67.