Antique stoneware bottle Ober-Selters Nassau, Germany mineral water glazed clay

Description

And you thought modern Americans were crazy about soda!
This is a bottle from the 1800s made to carry naturally carbonated mineral water as it was shipped around the world.
The hand thrown clay bottle is a beautifully crafted piece of glazed pottery on it's own.  Measures 12 inches tall and a little over 3 inches in diameter at the base.
The former contents are an interesting story.  The bottle is stamped with a seal of an eagle and the words "Ober-Selters Nassau" -  but it's not from the Bahamas, instead its from the Nassau region of Germany (modern state of Hesse) which was famous for centuries for it's natural mineral water sourced from wells in the Taunus mountains.  The water was naturally carbonated by a high concentration of sodium bicarbonate and a host of other minerals prized for taste and health qualities.
Below the hand crafted handle is stamped the identity of the jug maker - in this case "No. 99" in beautiful script.
Purpose made to preserve the freshness and carbonation of the water, it's hard to imagine the journey this bottle made over land and sea to end up in the US where it would be uncorked to release its fizz.
The fact that this has survived perhaps 200 years to end up in a CT barn is testament to how it was valued and perhaps reused over and over for liquid storage.  Now a great display piece or add to a bottle collection.