Communion wine jug

The communion wine jug from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Stargard features an unusual design. On its sides, within laurel wreaths, are two medallions held by the hand of God emerging from clouds. One medallion depicts a man with long, slightly wavy hair, dressed in a doublet with a turned-down collar, fashionable in the second half of the 17th century. The other shows a young woman in a gown with a wide neckline exposing her shoulders and puffed sleeves. According to the inscriptions, the portraits represent the donors of the vessel – Theophil Piper (1620–1676) and his wife Elisabeth, née Brüsewitz. Theophil was a wealthy patrician involved in the cloth trade and served for several years as the director of Stargard’s merchant and artisan guilds as senior of the clothiers’ guild. His wife came from the noble von Brüsewitz family, originally from Mecklenburg, which also held estates in Pomerania.

Inscriptions and imagery on communion jugs typically referenced Christological themes and the story of salvation. While inscriptions and coats of arms commemorating donors were common, the inclusion of portraits on the body of a liturgical vessel is highly unusual. The images, held by the hand of God, likely symbolise the donors’ submission to divine care and their hope for eternal life. In this way, the jug became a memorial foundation. Stargard goldsmith Gottfried Tesmer (active 1663–c. 1704) created the jug in 1677 – a year after Theophil Piper’s death, likely in accordance with a testamentary bequest. Theophil Piper is also associated with a donation of 200 thalers for a stone baptismal font for the rebuilt Church of St. Mary in Stargard, which was installed in the presbytery in 1679.

Monika Frankowska-Makała