Exchanging Medieval Material Culture Studies on archaeology and ...

120
Hans L. Janssen & Eddie Nijhof
Fig. 26 Loeff plein kiln. Redware handled tripod cooking pots and pipkins from F-115: 1: two-handled cooking pot (inv.nr. 7736);
2: two-handled cooking pot with black iron wash (inv.nr. 7724); 3: two-handled cooking pot with black iron wash (inv.nr. 7725);
4: pipkin with slip-trailed decoration (inv.nr. 7738); 5: pipkin with slip-trailed decoration (inv.nr. 7712). Scale 1:4. Drawing I. Cleijne.
6 The production range in ’s-Hertogenbosch
as a stage in the medieval pottery production
in the Netherlands
6.1 Introduction
Th e nearest parallel for the general production of the kilns of
the 1984 and the 1995 excavations, datable to the fi rst half of
the 15th century, can be found in the general range of products
as is known from the kiln, excavated in Utrecht in 1972, then
dated around 140068. Th ere are, however, small but signifi cant
diff erences with the products from this Utrecht kiln due to
general chronological-typological developments, but also to
regional varieties. Also the products of the 1984 Pieterskerk
and 1995 Loeff plein kilns in ’s-Hertogenbosch diff er among
themselves and show a certain typological development. Th e
following general observations are relevant.
68 Idem 1979; Janssen 1983b, 151-157.
6.2 The proportion of red and grey wares
A general tendency in the pottery production in the Netherlands
is the increase of the production of red wares and a decrease in
the production of grey wares from the second half of the 14th
century onwards. Generally speaking this process of increase of
the red wares, forcing back the grey wares to the cheaper
household utensils as storage jars, large pitchers and bowls etc.,
develops faster in the present western Netherlands than in the
middle and southern parts of the country. In the Utrecht kiln
production around 1400 the process of decrease of the grey
wares is noticeable, but still a substantial part of the production
consists of grey wares. A few decades later in time, in the
more southern region of ’s-Hertogenbosch it can be remarked
that both kilns still produced red and grey wares, although in
both kilns the red wares are much more numerous. In the earlier
Pieterskerk site the grey wares are limited to about 16 % of
the total number of vessels and are mainly limited to pitchers