Very rarely seen early 1600s Medieval sealed German Westerwald stoneware jug

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Very rarely seen early 1600s Medieval sealed German Westerwald stoneware jug :
$399.99

We are listing this quite interesting very rarely seen early 1600s medieval sealed salt glazed stoneware jug which was made in the Westerwald area of Germany. Blue and gray stoneware from the Westerwald area has been made for hundreds of years, but most people have only seen the sturdy glazed and incised pieces which dominated the Georgian era of the early 1700s through the early 1800s (including the GR jugs of the period which reflected the family ties between the royalty in Germany and England). However, this jug is from a much earlier period in the first decades of the 1600s, before the potteries in Westerwald became the dominant producers in Europe. The jug has a rather delicate ringed ovoid shape, features three identical seals of the City of Amsterdam coat of arms, and it has been restored (which is true of virtually all these very old jugs). You can see a similar jug from the period which resides in the internationally acclaimed Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) in Berlin on page 307 of the German book STEINZEUG (Stoneware). Interestingly, several of these early 1600s Westerwald jugs have also been found in Native American graves along the east coast of the United States. One of those which also featured seals of the City of Amsterdam (and which has also been reconstructed) is pictured on page 38 of SALT-GLAZED STONEWARE IN EARLY AMERICA and page 101 of GERMAN STONEWARE 1200-1900, and the related discussions in both books note that this type of jug likely came from Dutch fur traders in the area at that time (as opposed to pieces of later Georgian era Westerwald pottery which usually arrived via English settlers). The listed jug is 8.25 inches tall, 4.75 inches at its widest point, it makes an interesting display piece, and it is in good restored condition. The restoration work is most visible across the middle of the neck of the jug, and I suspect the upper portion of the neck and the handle had broken off in the past and have been put back on. There is also a little roughness around the lip of the jug, an underglaze divot out of the base edge, and a piece of kiln debris on the bottom of the jug which makes it wobble slightly (see the next to last picture). The jug has a small lead plug on one side of its neck (see the last picture), which I have seen on other old pieces like this (although I no longer remember the reason for these plugs). Please view the closeup pictures and judge for yourself. This is a very rarely seen 400 year old jug, a very interesting piece of history, and a great period decorator/display item as well.

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