Bermuda is full of duty-free shopping and I gather that is a big attraction for a lot of people. I, much to my mother's dismay, am not much of a shopper. I'm not interested in diamonds or watches or dragging home all the tax free liquor.
Give me a bit of history, however, and I am your girl! Thus: my one and only Bermuda souvenir!
This is a Bartman Jug, hand thrown by potter Jon Faulkner at his workshop in the Royal Naval Dockyards. It is a replica of a container used for travel storage of oil or other liquid stores. They were commonly made in the Rhineland and distinctively marked by their potters with different versions of the bearded face and symbols.
We saw two original salt glazed jugs at the National Museum of Bermuda. They were brought up from the 1609 wreck of the Sea Venture, sunk in Discovery Bay. Matching jugs were also found in Jamestown VA, which is not too far from us.
I'm not sure why I was struck by this little piece, but it was all very interesting to a history nerd like me! And it fits in perfectly with the few other strange, little pieces I have assembled over the years.
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