Delft puzzle jugs are a rare remnant of the drinking culture in the Netherlands. Delft examples can be found starting in the 1650s through the eighteenth century. The vessels were no ordinary jugs or tankards. They were not intended to function as drinking or pouring vessels, a fact made clear by the pierced openwork on the neck. Rather, they functioned as a game or conversation piece during a dinner party. A puzzle jug was referred to as a suijgkan (‘suction-jug’) in inventory lists of factories and potters’ shops, a term that hints at the solution to the puzzle.
