Iberian Unglazed Pottery from Antwerp (Belgium)

The present paper discusses 16 finds of post-medieval Iberian red unglazed earthenwares excavated on six different sites in Antwerp, Belgium. The finds display a variety of forms, fabrics, surface treatment and decoration techniques, which suggest they should be ascribed to different production centres in Portugal and Spain. Although it remains difficult to provide a close date for the finds, the Iberian unglazed earthenwares appear in the Antwerp archaeological contexts towards the end of the 16th century. The evidence suggests that these luxury or quality wares can be related to a well-off or even rich environment. In the Low Countries comparative material is known only from Amsterdam and Mechelen. It is not clear by what means these wares reached our regions. Was it through well-organised trade or ‘side-line’-trade or should these objects be regarded as ‘souvenirs’?