D2401. Blue and White Armorial Silver Mounted Jug

Delft, circa 1660

A blue and white armorial silver-mounted jug, painted in blue on the front of the bulbous body with the coat of arms of the Dutch city of Utrecht: a shield beneath a crown, flanked by ribbons on each side; the shield is diagonally divided into a blue and white field, with the white field decorated with scrollwork, possibly referring to the Saint Martens figure in the original coat of arms, above the shield is a blue circular band, flanked on either side by a thin blue line, the mouth surrounded by a blue band and mounted with a silver lid, marked for Willem van Leusden, Utrecht 1660, which is attached to the handle. We acknowledge with thanks the help of our colleague and friend Emiel Aardewerk for determining these marks.

DIMENSIONS
Height 21 cm. (8.3 in.) Width 15 cm. (5.9 in.)

NOTE
The oldest city seal of Utrecht dates from around 1200 and contains a symbolic representation of the defenses of Utrecht, including the wall and fortified castle of Trecht and the civic guard, which is divided into two departments, each with its own triangular pennant. One department carries a red pennant and the other a white one. The combination of both pennants makes a square that is divided into two areas of color that form the center of the later coat of arms of the city of Utrecht. The patron saint of the city, Saint Maarten, was traditionally also depicted in the two-tone city arms. His portrayal in the flag consists of the scene in which Saint Maarten, on top of a horseback, cuts his red cloak in half, to give one piece to a beggar. The scene is sometimes presented as the explanation for the coat of arms of Utrecht, but it is suspected that it is based on legend. His image was part of the city coat of arms until 1529. All seals afterwards show only the red and white, or sometimes silver, fields.