Pots from Karhuse
Chamber pot of black-fired clay from Karhuse at Vissenbjerg. The pot is at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.
Intro
The village of Kelstrupskov was formerly known as Karhuse. From the 18th century until the mid-19th century, there was a large production of Funish black pots.
A place to live
The lay-out of dwellings has changed over time, but it has always met people’s basic requirements: a roof over their heads and a place to sleep and eat. In the past, home and work were one and the same, but nowadays most people of Funen live far away from their place of work.
Iron Age house, c. 500 BC – AD 775
The walls of an Iron Age house were made of wattle and daub. The house had living quarters in the west and a byre for the livestock in the east. It was situated to reduce exposure to the harsh westerly wind as much as possible and to face towards the south and the sun.
Household items from the Iron Age, c. 500 BC – AD 375
Vessels for cooking and cups and bowls for serving were common in an Iron Age household. Spoons were made from cow horn, wood or clay, and knives were made of iron. Forks came into use much later, in the 17th century. Various clay supports could have been used to hold the roasting spits that were placed around the hearth.
Karhuse pots
Pots such as those from Karhuse were used in antiquity and right up to the 19th century. They are normally referred to as 'jydepotter' – Jutish pots – but large numbers were produced in the 18th and 19th centuries at Karhuse near Vissenbjerg on Funen. Karhuse pots are always black. See the picture on the intro tab.
This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.