The shape of this delightful small tankard is typical of the Dutch province of Groningen. Groningen silver tankards are rare. In 2011 the Groninger Museum was only aware of thirteen of them. This tankard stands on a plain base and has a domed foot. The cylindrical body is completely straight. The shape of the foot is repeated in the lid, a plain, flat horizontal band with above it a domed edge with a flat top. The only ornament on the tankard is the thumbpiece. The handle, on which the hinge of the cover is mounted, is completely plain and has an elegant scroll at the end.
Oordspul
This type of Groningen tankard is described in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century inventories as a pul (beer mug), or Oordspul. This latter name, which is specific to Groningen, is a reference to the volume of the tankard. An Oord is an old Groningen measure of volume equivalent to about 336 ml. The word oord means a quarter. Half and double oordspullen were also made. It’s obvious that they held around 168 and 673 ml. The Groninger Museum holds the original measures for the city weigh-house which can be used to check the content of an Oordspul.
Lid
The design of this tankard first appeared in the seventeenth century, when beer was the number one drink of the people. This had to do in part with the poor quality of the drinking water, which was badly polluted, particularly in the towns and cities. Drinking beer was a safe alternative because the fermentation process killed the bacteria. The major difference between this tankard and its modern equivalent is that tankards then were given a lid to prevent dirt and germs from getting into the beer. People believed that epidemics like the plague spread through the air; the lid was supposed to prevent contagion. The tankard would usually be made of stoneware, but there are also examples in glass, earthenware and porcelain with the lid and hinge in metal. Luxurious silver models began to appear in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. Initially the lids were completely flat, but over the years they became higher, creating more room for ornaments; owners could also identify their tankards by having their coats of arms engraved on them.
A plain tankard
This undecorated tankard, made by Jan Dronrijp in 1694, is a perfect example of a Groningen tankard. The foot, the body, the lid and the handle are completely plain, doing justice to the tankard’s beautifully balanced proportions. The only decoration is an engraving on the flat round part of the lid, where two escutcheons with the initials HE and IE identify its owners. These are crowned and surrounded with two palms bound together. The date 1695 is engraved below.
Johannes Dronrijp
Johannes Dronrijp, the son of the silversmith Regnerus Andreas Dronrijp and Ettjen Hillebrants Ardingius, was born in Visvliet around 1660. He was working in Groningen as a master silversmith in 1689, and became a member of the city council in 1699. In 1690 he married Afrelia Treccius in the Dutch Reformed Church in Groningen, and in 1699 he wed Anna Helena Busch, with whom he had two children. He died in 1726 or 1729.
